BUILDING eight wind turbines with a maximum blade height of 180 metres at Mynydd Carn y Cefn between Abertillery and Cwm, would mostly have a “negative impact,” on the area a report says.

At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, on Thursday, February 9, councillors will look at the Local Impact Report (LIR) on the wind turbine proposal by Pennant Walters Ltd.

The scheme has been deemed a Development of National Significance (DNS) and the Welsh Government’s Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) department is processing the application.

In this instance Blaenau Gwent is a consultee rather than decision maker, with the Welsh Government deciding the application.

The LIR is a factual document that just explains whether the impacts of DNS proposals are anticipated to be positive, negative or neutral.

South Wales Argus: Mynydd Carn y Cefn Wind Turbine proposals by Pennant Walter Ltd

The LIR said: “The application site is located within the Mynydd Carn y Cefn and Cefn yr Arail Special Landscape Area (SLA).

“It is anticipated that the proposal would have a significant negative impact.”

The report similarly says that the noise impact would also “be negative.”

At  the planning committee meeting in January, a councillor pointed out that a previous wind turbine planning application at Carn y Cefn from around 10 years ago had been rejected as there are: “geological faults in the mountain.”

The LIR said: “The coal mining risk assessment have identified that there is evidence of shallow mining related risk in the north of the site and a more widespread risk of displacement has been identified based on the occurrence of subsidence and fissuring/ fault reactivation across the site.

“The council are aware of a recorded landslip 1.5km to the north of the site.

“It is considered that insufficient information has been supplied to allow a full assessment to be made of the construction, the potential effect of operational vibration and any re-mediation required to mitigate the risks of adverse stability within the site and wider area.

“Given the proximity of the proposal to densely populated urban areas, it is considered that additional information with regard to this matter is required prior to determination.

“It is therefore anticipated that the development could have a negative and significant impact.”

The report add that the development would also be negative for any “extraction of mineral resources” as well as “historic local assets.”

But as the wind turbine could create 34MW of electricity enough to power for 21,100  homes – roughly the equivalent of two thirds of Blaenau Gwent’s total number of households, the report said that this: “would have a positive effect on meeting identified targets for renewable energy.”

The LIR said:  “BGCBC has reviewed the submitted information relating to the current proposal and considers that the impacts of the development as a whole would be negative.

“However, it should be reiterated that the application lacks sufficient information to allow full and reasoned assessment.”