A CONTROVERSIAL plan for a wind turbine overlooking the village of Bishton has been recommended for approval by city planners for the second time this year.

An earlier plan for a turbine that, including the blade tip, would have measured 77 metres in height was refused planning permission by Newport city council's planning committee last February, despite officers recommending that it get the go-ahead.

Now a second application by Martin Webber, of Castle Farm, Bishton, will be considered by the committee next week, based on a reduced turbine/blade tip height of 66 metres.

As with the earlier plan, the turbine would be located on a hill east of Craig-y-Perthi wood, on agricultural land around one third of a mile from Bishton village.

It is intended that, as with the earlier application, the turbine would generate around 2.3 megawatts of electricity a year, enough to power 585 homes.

Despite the height reduction however, the new proposal has generated opposition as heated as that for its predecessor.

Forty-eight individual objections have been received, mainly from Bishton, along with one from councillor Martyn Kellaway, who represents Llanwern ward on the city council.

Bishton community council has also registered its opposition.

Also included in a report to be considered by the planning committee next Wednesday, September 2, is a strong objection from the head of street scene and city services (landscaping), arguing that a very similar turbine proposal has already been found unacceptable, and the turbine would have an adverse effect on some homes, and a negative effect on the character of the landscape.

The report concludes however, that access issues for installation of the turbine can be satisfactorily managed, and the effect on the local landscape would not be "unacceptably adverse."

Noise and shadow flicker are not judged to be a problem, and while the report acknowledges the turbine would be "difficult not to notice" from Bishton, the visual impact would not be overbearing.

It is also considered that the impact on Bishton Castle, a scheduled ancient monument, and the Grade Two listed Church of St Cadwaladr would be adverse but not significant.

A recommendation that planning permission be granted is accompanied by a range of conditions.

One governs the wind speed at which the turbine would start up, and restrictions on start-up before and after sunrise and sunset during April-October, to protect the local Noctule bat population from blade collisions.