Consent granted for wind turbine with bat-related planning condition
A single 18m turbine at Bingham in Nottinghamshire has been granted planning consent after concerns about local bat populations was resolved through modification of the turbine operation. In this instance the developer will fit a timer so that the blades do not rotate at night. The times that the turbines are allowed to operate are between 7am and 8pm, during the period March 1 to October 31. Scientific research in the United States has shown that cutting blade rotation speed or increasing cut-in times can have dramatic effect on bat mortality and such mitigation options may be of interest to developers promoting sites where ecological surveys have shown that high levels of bat activity are present around turbine locations.