A WIND turbine at an abattoir might have to be removed after its temporary planning permission expired.

Officials behind the 10kw turbine at Clerk Hill abattoir, in Wiswell, have applied for permanent permission, but council planning officers have recommended refusal. Planners say the turbine, on a 12metre column, has been erected too close to neighbouring residential properties. Ribble Valley Council received 11 letters objecting to the turbine, including several from local residents.

They raised concerns over the safety of the turbine, the noise it creates, the shadows it casts over the land, and the difficulty in tending sheep who won’t enter the farmyard when the turbine is running.

Ribble Valley planning committee will make a decision on the plans tonight.