Montgomery windfarm lorries plan scrapped

Controversial plans to transport windfarm lorries through a Powys town have been scrapped, it was revealed today.

Scottish Power wanted the lorries carrying huge wind turbine blades and towers to go through Montgomery en route to the P & L windfarm at Llandinam, near Newtown.

But residents and councillors campaigned against the plans, claiming it was unviable for such large vehicles to pass through the town's small streets.

And today they claimed "common sense had prevailed" after Powys County Council said the plans had been rejected by the Welsh Assembly.

John Evans, communications manager for Powys County Council, said the route proposed by the Scottish Power had been "unviable".

He said: "A northern route for the Llandinam windfarm, which would have taken wind farm components through a historic county town and into Shropshire, had been proposed by Scottish Power.

Constraints

"But there were constraints along this route. Unfortunately, no solutions were proposed that addressed these constraints, making the route unviable."

Mr Evans said the Welsh Assembly government had asked all the wind farm companies looking to build in Powys to clearly demonstrate lorries could actually get to the proposed sites.

The news was greeted with joy by residents and councillors, who campaigned tirelessly in a bid to stop windfarm traffic passing through the town.

Councillor Mark Michaels, from Montgomery, said: "We're delighted common sense has prevailed. It wasn't ever viable to have long and wide vehicles going through a small historic town, it's a sensible decision."

Scottish Power spokesman Simon Peltenburg said the company was now investigating alternative routes from the south.

By Anwen Evans