PLANS to erect a 78 metre turbine near Inwardleigh have been rejected by West Devon Borough Council.

In his report, the planning officer for the borough stated the proposal would be 'significantly detrimental to the landscape character of the area, impact upon views to and from Dartmoor National Park and public vantage points within and outside of the Park'. Unresolved issues regarding the effects on residential amenity, businesses and the local economy were also raised.

The scheme to erect the turbine at Waytown, approximately three kilometres south west of Inwardleigh village, was being developed by Energy 4 All and ClearWinds.

With an installed capacity of up to 0.85 megawatts, the turbine would have powered around 475 homes, displacing in the region of 24,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions during its 25-year lifespan.

The company would have invited local people to buy shares in the turbine from £250, and then make a return on that investment.

John Malone from Energy 4 All said: 'We are disappointed that the scheme has been turned down. As of yet, we are unable to comment much further as we have yet to look through the report from the planning officer.'

The decision has been met with a sense of relief from some local residents.

Tim and Janet White's bungalow is just over a kilometre from the proposed turbine site, with their garden's back hedge around 800 metres from the site.

Janet White said: 'We are quite delighted with the news. I think there is relief from a lot of people around here, even though I have yet to speak to that many since the decision came through.

'Those of us driving the local objections are thoroughly relieved. Hopefully it also means a lot of other turbine applications will not have legs to succeed.'

The proposals had also caused concerns for the team behind Northlew Broadband, a unique internet service delivering broadband to villagers through radio waves.

Christopher Marson, director of Northlew Broadband, had expressed concerns that the turbine would deflect the radio wave signal, cancelling out the originating transmission to such an extent as to cause the service to stop working.

To see the full decision notice and delegated report, visit the West Devon Borough Council planning website, quoting application number 03075/2012.