AN APPEAL to site a 252ft wind turbine at Lifton Farm Shop has been won — two weeks after an application for a similar sized turbine was granted on appeal for another location in the village.

The turbine at Lifton Farm Shop will replace two smaller structures on the site and the energy produced will be used to power the business enterprise which includes a restaurant and function suite.

It has an estimated output of 500kw and measures 50m to the hub height and 77m to the tip height.

An appeal was also won by Otterpower Ltd to site a wind turbine at Wortham Farm, Lifton on January 10.

Both applications were taken to appeal after non-determination by West Devon Borough Council within the specified time period, but officers had recommended refusal of the Lifton Farm Shop turbine, which was also opposed by Lifton Parish Council. Members said that while it was acknowledged that the proposal would contribute to lowering reliance upon traditional forms of energy production and help meet the targets for West Devon moving to low carbon energy production, the very significant harm that would occur to the landscape and heritage assets was considered to be of greater importance.

Planning inspector Rupert Grantham said he had considered all matters raised, including concerns that the turbine might affect the safety of the drivers on the A30.

However, he said, there was no evidence to support such concerns.

'Turbines are increasingly found close alongside major roads and the Highways Agency raise no objection to these proposals,' he said.

In regard to the Wortham farm turbine the inspector said substantial harm to the landscape character would be limited to a small area, local to the turbine. Such harm would be outweighed by the public benefits of the scheme, he said.

Borough councillor for Lifton Donald Horn said he supported both applications for renewable energy and in the case of Lifton Farm Shop, it was a replacement of two smaller turbines and would be used to run the business.

'I honestly believe this will be the case,' he said. 'This is a local business and local employment and we should be encouraging this sort of thing. It is the way forward.'

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) said it was disappointed by the decision, which brought the number of approved schemes to almost 30 in West Devon.

Local chairman of the CPRE Penny Mills said the landscape would be 'littered with industrial turbines.'

'It's yet another example of the uncontrolled wanton industrialisation of our beautiful Devon countryside by the stampede for commercial renewable energy projects,' she said.

Gary Vanstone, chairman of the Milton Abbot, Bradstone and Kelly action group against wind turbines (MABRAKE), said the planning inspectorate had 'chosen, yet again, to ignore the views of the planners, CPRE and English Heritage.'

'This is despite the promises from Government ministers to respect local opinion,' he said. 'Either the ministers are being untruthful or the inspectors are ignoring them.'