Site Selection

Choosing the right location for a wind farm is very important. The site should be outside nationally-designated landscapes and ecological areas but where possible near other infrastructure such as roads to help mitigate the limited environmental impacts arising from the development.

In the East Midlands, the places where wind farms can be sited are limited. A wind farm needs to be some distance from residential properties (both existing and proposed) and as the wind turbines need to be spaced apart, the total land area required is large even though the actual "footprint" of each turbine is relatively small.

The proposed site of the Yelvertoft Wind Farm has been identified as being suitable for wind farm development for the following reasons:

• It is in a location with a good wind resource
• There are no international, national, regional and local environmental designations
• There will be no anticipated disruption to civilian or military radar and aviation corridors
• The region has a suitable landscape, undulating ground, with substantial vegetation providing visual screening for dwellings in the vicinity
• Proximity to suitable grid connections
• Good road access