Lotus wind farm stalls

Ecotricity's plans to erect three wind turbines at Lotus' headquarters in Hethel near Wymondham have been shot down by the South Norfolk planning committee. The decision was, however, not carried by a two-thirds majority and will now be deferred to the council's main planning committee for final ratification in July.

Dale Vince, the managing director of Ecotricity was unimpressed with the decision. 'What hope do we have of keeping the lights on in the future if we can’t even build wind turbines on an industrial site surrounded by farmland like the Lotus factory,' he said.

The company is appealing the decision and Vince believes that it is confident of winning it.

'At a time when climate change and the looming energy crisis is dominating the headlines, this decision is a perfect example of a planning system not fit for purpose. Onshore wind energy is our New North Sea oil, with enough untapped energy to power the whole country three or four times over. The one thing holding it back is our archaic planning system,' he added.