Glyndebourne faces planning challenge over wind turbine

Organisers of summer opera festival Glyndebourne are at the centre of a planning row over a proposed wind turbine that would be 70m tall. Glyndebourne Opera House wants to build the 850w turbine in its grounds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and national park, to cut its carbon emissions by 71%.

However, a group of four environmental organisations-the South Downs Society, the Council for National Parks, the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Ramblers Association is determined to block the application to Lewes council, which is expected to be heard on the 20th June.

The coalition say the turbine will ruin the surrounding Countryside, destroying views over "hundreds of square kilometres." The group says they are not against renewable energy but say they do not want a turbine on what will become a National Park.

Gus Christie, the chairman of Glyndebourne, sais the scheme had overwhelming local support, but those against it "are very forcefully against it."