WEST Devon planners look poised to refuse a controversial application to site nine wind turbines on agricultural land in the Den Brook Valley. Planning officers are recommending members refuse the application at the planning and licensing committee meeting taking place in Tavistock next Tuesday (January 31). The council has received almost 3,000 letters of objection in relation to the scheme promoted by developers Renewable Energy Systems. Planners have recommended refusal of the application on three key grounds: adverse visual impact on the local landscape; insufficient information about the impact of the development on the historic environment and that the scheme would be detrimental to the amenity of nearby residents. Members of the committee last Thursday held a site visit to inspect six different viewpoints surrounding the proposed development. A spokesperson for the council said the site visit had proved ?very useful?. The company behind the scheme, and opponents from the Den Brook Valley Action Group, each flew balloons to demonstrate the height of the proposed turbines. Action group chairman Maureen Thomson said: ?We are absolutely delighted. I hope that the committee accepts the planning officers? recommendation.? West Devon Borough Council is expecting a larger than usual number of visitors to next Tuesday?s meeting, bearing in mind the high level of correspondence it has received on the issue. The council is reminding visitors that it will be laying on its usual video link facility between the Tavistock and Okehampton offices for the meeting. The council is advising people to make as much use of the video link facility at the Okehampton council chamber in Oaklands Drive as possible as it is expected that the Tavistock chamber will be full to capacity. Visitors are also reminded that car parking space at both Tavistock and Okehampton council offices is limited. The meeting begins at 10am and the application is expected to be among the first to be discussed. Last May, the committee rejected an application to build wind turbines at Yelland Farm near Okehampton, but the applicant West Coast Energy has since lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate. l See pictures page 5