Couple's battle continues over wind turbine noise
It'S back to square one, but a step in the right direction, for a couple who are fighting to save their home from the blight of wind turbines.
Jane and Julian Davis left their Deeping St Nicholas home at Christmas 2006 after months of sleepless nights due to noise and vibration from the turbines, which are less than 1km from their house.
However, there is a way forward at last after complaints to the Local Government Ombudsman over the handling of their issue by South Holland District Council, and monitoring of noise levels will now take place once more to establish the extent of the issue.
Mrs Davis said: "Now we start all over again – but at last it is being accepted there are issues.
"They can't take the windfarm away now, but it is a step in the right direction. We would just like to be in a position where we can go home."
Mr and Mrs Davis believe the council has refused to take enforcement action relating to a planning condition which should limit the noise from the Deeping St Nicholas windfarm, and claim monitoring by the council in October 2007, which concluded there was no problem, is invalid because the turbines were only operating at a third of their capacity.
The condition was imposed by a planning inspector, and now must be investigated by the Parliamentary Ombudsman.
But Mr and Mrs Davis believe the basis of measurement for wind turbine noise against background noise, guidance known as ETSU-97, is flawed, and the ombudsman agreed it was open to interpretation.
Mrs Davis said: "What councils are finding is that it is very difficult to measure wind turbine noise using ETSU-97
"The criterion doesn't work. It doesn't protect people and the Government needs to look at it again.
"It is good for people in the long term, because the Government will have to look at it again."
BERR (Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) is looking into the problem.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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