Successful appeal by Ministry of Defence against plans for wind farm

William Upton has represented the Ministry of Defence in a successful appeal against plans for two separate wind farms which, it was argued, would interfere with operations at a nearby seismic monitoring facility.

It was argued that the two separate schemes proposed for sites near Carlisle would have a significant impact on the nearby Ministry of Defence facility at Eskdalemuir Seismological Monitoring Station (known as the Array) which monitors seismic noise from nuclear tests. Any interference in the operation of this facility could have been treated as a breach of the UN‘s nuclear test ban treaty.

The proposals involved were a six-turbine wind farm proposed by REG Windpower Ltd at Hallburn Farm, Longtown, and a nine-turbine wind farm proposed by EDF Energy for Beck Burn Peat Works, also at Longtown. Although the wind farms were in accordance with relevant local planning policies and met national plans on green energy and meeting international and national obligations to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, these factors did not outweigh the overriding need to protect the operation of the Array.

For more detail on the case click here