Victory for Michael Morpurgo as planners throw out 15-storey wind turbine in Devon village which inspired War Horse after author said it would cast a shadow Author said the turbine would despoil the Iddesleigh, Devon, community Dozens of villagers fought the plan to install the £600,000, 145ft structure Would have overshadowed the setting of the First World War novel Council said tower would have harmed the areas appearance and character By Wills Robinson , 1 July 2014 Plans to build a 15-storey wind turbine in the middle of the countryside setting which inspired War Horse have been thrown out after opposition from author Michael Morpurgo. The writer was joined by dozens of people who fought plans to install the 145ft tower in the picturesque village of Iddesleigh in Devon. He argued the 225 kilowatt device would despoil the rural community made famous by his First World War novel. The story, about a young farmer and his horse Joey, spawned a West End play and a Hollywood blockbuster directed by Steven Spielberg. His supporters also argued the £600,000 turbine would tower over the famous Tarka Trail, which is not far from the hall which sets the scene for the story of a young farm boy and his horse, Joey. West Devon Borough Council rejected the Coombe Farm planning application last October but that decision was appealed. However the Planning Inspectorate sided with villagers and reinforced the original decision on Monday, ruling that the development would harm the appearance and character of the local landscape and listed buildings in the area. Inspector Janice Trask said: The proposal would provide a valuable contribution to cutting greenhouse gas emissions and this warrants great weight. However, this would not outweigh the significant harm I have identified. Mr Morpurgo, 66, who lives in Iddesleigh, wrote to the council last year saying the turbine would cast a shadow over the village. He said: As a result of the recent film and play based upon my book, War Horse, many more people are discovering the unique character of this corner of England, the farming country where Joey grew up before he was taken off as so many farm horses were to the First Word War. dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2676875/Victory-Michael-Morpurgo-planners-throw-15-storey-wind-turbine-Devon-village-inspired-War-Horse-author-said-cast-shadow.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
Posted on: Wed, 02 Jul 2014 10:50:49 +0000
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