Wind Turbine ‘Repowering’

Hedley Planning were approached to prepare, submit and manage an application relating to the ‘repowering’ of an existing wind turbine at a farm in Thorpe-le-Street, East Yorkshire to address rapidly rising energy costs.

‘Repowering’ is considered to mean the replacement of some or all of an existing turbine’s infrastructure in order to increase the overall capacity.

Proposals saw a 90-metre 1MW wind turbine erected as part of a repowering application under National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) guidelines. This allowed the Applicant, to replace the existing and older turbine with a new larger, more efficient model. Development of the project involved the replacement of the existing turbine with a larger one as the applicant looks to significantly reduce North Farm’s carbon footprint while enhancing onsite energy security. The new wind turbine features the latest aerodynamic blade design and advanced control technologies to significantly boost kilowatt output through a larger rotor diameter, maximising the site’s power generating capacity.

Noise, aviation safety and ecological impact assessments were all completed as part of extensive research and planning work overseen by Hedley Planning, which confirmed the site was suitable for a renewable energy project of this type. Hedley Planning also managed the public consultation process, a legal requirement for planning applications involving wind turbines.

As the country is facing an unprecedented energy crisis, well planned renewable onshore energy projects like this scheme are contributing towards meeting the country’s clean energy needs. securing planning permission for this important repowering project in line with NPPF paragraph 163(c) [now 164] and look forward to seeing the plans come to fruition.

Alex Franklin, Associate Director at Hedley Planning, who steered the plans through for approval by East Riding of Yorkshire Council said: “We are delighted to now have secured planning permission for this important repowering project.”

“The UK continues to face an energy crisis, so harnessing the wind can be one of the most efficient ways to supply clean energy for local landowners, communities and homeowners. The UK currently has more than 11,000 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 30 gigawatts with a steady stream of applications coming forward as people plug into the advantages of greener energy solutions.”