Chateau’s owners lose fight to halt wind farm

Owners of a chateau have lost a bid to withdraw a wind farm’s planning permission - because being able to see the turbines was not a good enough reason to object.

Connexion journalist
Published Modified

P&T Technol­ogie applied for planning permission for a wind farm with five turbines at La Chapelle-Glain in Loire-Atlantique.

Owners at nearby Motte-Glain Château objected.

They tried to get permission refused and then, once granted, overturned, as the 116-metre turbines would be visible from the second floor in the western part of the chateau.

They won their case to overturn the permission, but P&T Technol­ogie appealed to the Conseil d’Etat, France’s highest administrative court.

Judges ruled that as the chateau was 2.5km from the wind farm, and given the building’s layout, the owners did not have significant interest to allow them to object.

The ruling said: “The mere fact of being able to see wind turbines is not enough to challenge a building permit. It is only when it affects the use of the property that they would have the right to object.”

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