Locals are considering a complaint to the local authority ombudsman on council refusal to consider nuisance action against Cotton Farm wind farm near Huntingdon.
Residents have long complained about amplitude modulation from the wind farm and live recordings have taken place detailing the nuisance (Noise Bulletin 2015). The wind farm sits on a borough boundary and residents of both Huntingdonshire and South Cambs have been told that no further complaints will be accepted.
Parish councils are now compiling evidence to mount an Ombudsman complaint saying it is not acceptable to ban further complaints. Arguments include:
- The wind farm consisting of 8 x 127m 2.1 MW turbines was built during 2012 and started operating in January 2013. Noise emissions were immediately experienced;
- An email ring that included council environmental health officers recorded 2,000 complaints at which point the council admitted it was no longer recording the complaints;
- Most people in the village of Graveley have experienced noise immissions at some time or another and to a greater or lesser degree. Some are more affected than others and there are cases where individuals have had to leave their homes due to turbine noise emissions. The number of people experiencing noise nuisance is greater than the people who actually send in complaints. The problem the Ombudsman should also be made aware of is that the vast majority of the complaints by individuals to the council have not been responded to by council officers;
- Council Officers have stated they do not have the correct guidance or legislation to follow through complaints. They have asked central government for help. This hasn’t happened;
- The single and most damning omission from the planning approval document is the simple fact that the wind farm was ordered to test the noise emissions from the windfarm and prove its compliance before it was signed off as “compliant”. This should have been insisted on by the council at the pre determination stage. All wind farms, existing and in the future, should be permanently monitored as other industries are being closely monitored, ie fracking, airports etc;
- It is important to note the compliance law. ETSU is a planning procedure and is designed as a process for planning purposes only. It has nothing to do with noise that people hear. These are totally separate issues… but the noise people hear and complain about is still a “noise” and this is why there is a condition 24 with its complaint procedures in the approval document;
- The council have concentrated on amplitude modulation only and complained there is no legislation for it. Councils should have followed the complaints procedure as described in condition 24.
- graveleycambspc.org.uk/homepage/cotton-wind-farm-noise-complaints
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