RES calls off Brown’s Holt hunt

RES has pulled the plug on its eight-turbine Brown’s Holt near the Lincolnshire town of Gainsborough citing policy uncertainty.

The Kings Langley developer said it withdrew the planning application to West Lindsey District Council submitted last year in light of the UK government’s “prioritisation of more expensive and more polluting forms of energy generation.”

The wind farm had attracted “considerable support from the local communities around it,” it added.

RES said the proposed Brown’s Holt would have economic benefits totalling around £9m over the wind farm’s lifetime.

This would have included around £2m investment into the local economy during construction and the first year of operation plus £5m in locally-retained business rates over 25 years.

“Withdrawing the Brown’s Holt Wind Farm planning application has been a difficult decision…but the government is not giving new onshore wind farms fair access to the energy market,” said RES development manager Chris Banks.

“On top of this, despite the local support for the project, West Lindsey District Council is not promoting onshore wind sites in its Local Plan.”

Image: Kelburn wind farm (RES)