Plans for a 22-turbine wind farm have been given the go ahead by the government.
The secretary of state for energy and climate change Ed Davey last week gave the green light to the development at Heckington Fen, which neighbours the Boston borough.
The scheme was put forward by Ecotricity, which has spent four years of research, planning and consultation to gain approval for development – it’s largest wind park to date.
The 66MW project, at Six Hundred Farm, north of the A17, is set to produce enough electricty a year to power almost 40,000 homes. The turbines are expected to stand 125m tall – the iconic Boston Stump stands at about 83m high.
Ecotricity founder Dale Vince said: “Heckington Fen is a superb location for a wind park, probably the best we’ve ever seen.
“The planning department from North Kesteven District Council recommended the application for approval and we had no objections from any of the statutory consultees such as English Heritage, RSPB or Natural England. That’s quite rare and a sign of what a strong project this is.
“Heckington Fen will make a significant contribution to Britain’s energy supply, powering the equivalent of almost 40,000 homes for the next 25 years and will reduce our dependence on imported fossil fuels, which are the primary source of the Britain’s carbon emissions.
“We’re grateful to the secretary of state for his decision in the face of considerable political hot air right now on the subject of windmills, and we’d also like to thank the many people in the local community that wrote letters of support for the project.”
Ecotricity submitted its plans in December 2009.
The matter went to a public inquiry last summer following an objection from North Kesteven District Council. In October 2011 Boston Borough Council’s planning committee considered the proposal put forward. It did not support the application but did not formally request the secretary of state to hold a public inquiry.
An independent planning inspector scrutinised the details of the application before making their recommendation to the secretary of state.
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