AP McCoy's £2m stable redevelopment likely to go ahead as wind turbine plans are refused

The scheme had generated an extraordinary amount of debate, with planners receiving almost 40 letters of representation from interested parties.
When the matter was put before West Berkshire Council’s planning chiefs for a decision, there had been eight letters in support and 29 letters of objection.
Among the latter was a letter from Lambourn Parish Council objecting on the grounds that it may “affect the viability of the nearby local businesses, the Membury airfield and racehorse industry, and an impassioned plea to reject the scheme from champion jockey AP McCoy.
McCoy dramatically halted plans to build a £2m racing stable until he was guaranteed that the turbine would not be erected. Extensive building was due to begin at Lodge Down, Upper Lambourn, on February 1, but late last year the 16-times champion called off the contractor until the decision on the turbine was made.
He had warned that the whole future of Lambourn as a training centre was at stake and said, in a formal letter of objection: “This is potentially a loss of investment into the area of £2m and 25 new jobs in the Valley of the Racehorse... the suggestion that racehorses will get used to a wind turbine is absurd.
” The scheme is now likely to go ahead at full steam. District councillor Graham Jones (Con, Lambourn) explained that it was not brought before a committee because the majority of representations had been aligned with planning officers’ recommendations of refusal.
He added: “This application was simply in the wrong place. It would have impacted on two local industries – Membury airfield and the horse racing industry. To have a turbine in a flight corridor is silly.
“In addition, it could have affected the horse racing industry in that it could have affected confidence in Lambourn as a hub. For instance, a wealthy trainer coming in and seeing a wind turbine might think twice about locating here. It’s a matter of perception.”
He acknowledged that McCoy’s threat to withdraw support and funding for a new racing stable “could, potentially, have swayed the decision”.
Planners made no mention of it in the official report but noted that the proposal before them represented a “significantly lower scheme” than previous applications to site a turbine on the meadow.
However, they added: “There remain concerns that, on balance, the outlook of nearby dwellings and the amenities currently enjoyed by local residents would be affected by the proposal.”
The report went on: “It is acknowledged that this application represents a more modest development in comparison to the previous refusals for each turbine of 81 metres and that the applicant has sought to overcome the previous concerns raised.
Nevertheless, the proposed turbine is considered would have an adverse landscape and visual impact on the special qualities of this part of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and therefore fails to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the AONB.”
The picture above is a mock up to show how the turbine would appear if it were next to the M4 motorway at Baydon Meadow (turbine superimposed to the right of the M4).