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Turbine plan for 'Hockney Country' moves closer

Paul MurphyEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire climate and environment correspondent
Getty Images A man wearing a hat and scarf is walking in front of a very large painting depicting trees Getty Images
The East Yorkshire Wolds inspired many of the late David Hockney's landscape paintings

A proposal to build six large wind turbines in the East Yorkshire Wolds has moved a step closer.

Formal plans have now been submitted to East Riding of Yorkshire Council for the Three Oaks Renewable Energy Park near to Burton Agnes, a landscape made famous by the late artist David Hockney.

The tip of each turbine will be 488ft (149m) high and concerns have been raised by local residents about the visual impact of the scheme.

However, developers Ridge Clean Energy said the project would have no adverse impact on the character of the wider landscape and would produce renewable electricity for 24,000 local homes.

Two horses graze in a green field in front of trees and a rolling landscape of fields in the background.
The East Yorkshire Wolds became known as 'Hockney Country' after being the subject of several of his landscape paintings

It is one of the biggest onshore turbine proposals in England since the government lifted an effective ban two years ago.

The machines will tower over the local landscape but they will also come with what developers describe as a "community benefit fund" worth £5m over the 40-year life of the project.

Residents in nearby villages have previously expressed concerns about the plans, citing the potential for both visual and noise impacts.

Ridge Clean Energy said it would combine the turbines with an already approved solar farm and battery storage to "deliver an excellent source of secure and reliable renewable energy at a time when it is needed most", according to its website.

Four large wind turbines in fields along with a pylon and cables
Sancton Hill Windfarm in nearby Market Weighton was one of the last onshore turbine projects to be approved in the UK

Detailed plans for the Three Oaks Renewable Energy Park have now been published on East Riding Council's planning portal, allowing for public consultation.

A spokesperson for Ridge Clean Energy said it had been working with communities local to the site over the past five years and said the project had been "sensitively designed following detailed technical work reviewing landscape and visual effects, biodiversity suitability and operational noise assessments".

"Our design has been prepared taking local consultation representations into account, as well as in line with the relevant planning guidance," the spokesperson added.

If the plans are approved by the council, construction work could begin in 2028.

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