Everywhere I look it seems depressing news when looking at wind generators and planning permission! I tried ringing our local planning office in Hereford to get some info and guidelines, but was told the guy I needed to speak to was too busy. Now that may have been because he was told it was for a wind generator, or am I just being negative? Though they did give me his name and email address.

I really don't wish to discuss the why's and wherefores of the suitability of my machinery, its location or its payback etc. as its been a homebrew project with only limited expenditure due to reuse of materials and my own machining facilities and obviously electrical know how, so please no internet police reciting part P etc etc at me. This post is regarding PP. Thanks :)

My location is not ideal for a wind generator, but it's all I've got, so no chance of reciting my property. The property is not listed, well not any more as I've rebuilt the front of it, and the area is not subject to any SSSI's. I'm basically sat of the edge of a flood plain between two hills and the wind is usually quite good as there's nothing really to stop it. According to Googlemaps I'm 8 inches from my nearest neighbour which translates to 1 kilometre, so noise isn't an issue for neighbours at that distance, if it is, it would be unbearable at my property. I'm way over 8 inches from a proper road or footpath. There are overhead power cables crossing the property with open fields either side, so I won't be attempting to go so high that my tower could fall on the power cables. My tower will however be just over 12 metres from the house. I haven't decided yet on how tall my tower will be, but probably about 10 or so metres. The diameter of the generator blades is about 3 metres.

It seems to me that its easier to apply for PP with a known generator as there is access to pre-known data like noise etc., where as mine is a home brew jobbie, so have no data to display.

Trawling the web, it seems a lot of people go ahead and erect their wind generator, then when they've been found out, apply for retrospective PP. I tried to get a friend involved who used to work for a planning office, but didn't get very far as he referred me to various government websites where as we all know are too general and not specific, rather than local information, and being a company man, was appalled that I should consider the retrospective route, though in reality my better half would object too. I was hoping he'd be able to give me an insight of how the local planning guys see wind generators, but no inside information was forthcoming.

So taking all the above in to consideration, is there anyone out there who has been through the process of applying for PP of a home brew wind generator and better still in the Herefordshire area who could part with some knowledge or help please?

Thanks for reading and any help and guidance.

There's a lot of good intentions out there regarding planning and energy. In reality little or none of it is being actively implemented as yet because it hasn't filtered down to Local Government.

You may be better to wait a few years.

Steve,

email the guy in the council planning department telling him that you have an experimental design for a wind turbine that you intend to try out at your property on a temporary basis. If it doesn't work as well as you hoped then you will be taking it down. If it does work well then you will still be taking it down, tweaking the design and then plan to re-erect it and will apply for full planning permission if this is required. This will only be needed if the mooted changes to Permitted Development, to allow small wind turbines without planning permission, don't get passed in the meantime (assuming your situation falls within their scope).

Give him as much information as you possibly can - regarding the design, research and tests you have done, your competence, distance from neighbours, etc, etc.

If they serve you with an order to take it down, then comply with the order.

I think DIY wind turbines and planning permission are not usually bedfellows. They are the sort of things that get put up in remote places where either no one knows or complains. In a more urban setting then a different approach is required.

I wasn't being facetious btw: Might be worth your while reading this: Chapter 4 in particular from memory:

http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/what_we_do/uk_supply/energy_mix/renewable/res/res.aspx

Looking around the MCS site I see another gotcha for the homebrewer.

Under proposed permitted development rights for micro generators it seems that only equipment which is certificated will be allowed under PD.

So as well as having no FiT income you also have to run a full planning application.

Others are so outraged there is talk of a euro court action for restraint of trade.

Thanks Ted, that's a very interesting link

Here's my response to the document Q13: Any thoughts?

You have identified that new technologies will be introduced but have had, for obvious reasons, to base this document on existing known technologies.

It would be very useful to have a statement in the document discussing technologies that are unknown. In particular it would be exceptionally useful to have a presumption in favour of any single small scale development where the development is for a 'world first' demonstration project where the primary purpose of the project is to demonstrate a renewable energy function.

In my opinion, the term "World First" should be limited to projects that are both:

1: Novel (and have accompanying proof such as a published UK patent or the equivalent of a US "Utility" patent)
2: Substantially technologically different from any other renewable energy development anywhere else in the World.

I appreciate that this may lead to concerns about inappropriate development. However, if there is only a presumption in favour and the definition is sufficiently restricted, there should be little cause for concern.

There are one or two small wind powered road signs near hedges around us. This one is not far from Old Weston in Cambridgeshire...

Short link..
http://tinyurl.com/3xndpvj

Links to this google street maps view...
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Brington,+Cambridgeshire+PE28,+United+Kingdom&sll=51.479731,-0.292318&sspn=0.075478,0.149517&ie=UTF8&cd=2&geocode=FU4NHwMdcsv5_w&split=0&hq=&hnear=Brington,+Cambridgeshire,+United+Kingdom&ll=52.420573,-0.371379&spn=0,0.002336&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=52.420723,-0.371354&panoid=y85LGJy5xDITjRTwzo04Hw&cbp=12,309.91,,0,-14.53

Got involved in monitoring a site a while back and contacted the council about putting up a mast with an anemometer on it, the man at the council was amazed that we had asked and granted it almost straight away. Just claim it is for monitoring as a feasibility study. Bit cheeky I know but planning offices do not seem to like anything slightly different.

it's entirely possible that bat surveys have been carried out for those roadsign turbines (or that special conditions apply to roadsides).

anyway, that's all a bit irrelevant really given that I'd expect that all you should need to do is to write back to the planner quoting this section of the linked guidelines

"these guidelines do not specifically cover micro wind generation."

presuming that you've seen no evidence of any significant bat activity in the hedge, also explain this together with the length of time you've lived there, and that you therefore see no justification for a full bat survey to be undertaken. Also point out that while the turbine may possibly lead to the deaths of the odd bat, due to it's size it is very unlikely to have any serious detrimental impact on the overall population size of the local bat population, which is what the legislation is aimed at protecting.

If it's possible to move the turbine away from the hedge / make it higher then it could be worth offering this as a mitigation measure (largely to save the officer's face for sending you guidelines that don't really apply to you without explaining this).

Posted By: SteamyTeaAlways worth goign higher with a wind turbine anyway.

could actually be a good excuse to get the planning officer to allow a higher pole... worth an ask anyway