COUNCILLORS unanimously turned down a planning application last night for a wind farm on the Weston Hills. The meeting was packed with over 100 members of the public in the council chamber at North Herts District Council to hear the planning application.

COUNCILLORS unanimously turned down a planning application last night for a wind farm on the Weston Hills.

The meeting was packed with over 100 members of the public in the council chamber at North Herts District Council to hear the planning application.

Landowner John Cherry wanted to erect three wind turbines close to Hatch Lane Weston.

There were many objections to the plans and planners said the application was in the Metropolitan Green Belt and was an inappropriate development that was not supported by special circumstances.

Today Mr Cherry said: "It was unanimously turned down which was no surprise. Unfortunately the planning application was slightly hopeless.

"We are now going to consider our position but as things stand at the moment things look bleak.

Commenting on the council’s decision, a spokesman for campaigners against the project Weston Against Rural Destruction (WARD) said: “This is obviously an important local issue and Richard Tiffin, the council’s planning officer, in particular has painstakingly left no stone unturned in investigating every single aspect and issue relating to the application in order to compile his extremely thorough and complete recommendations to the committee.

“We were impressed at the amount of interest and prior research that some of the councillors had out in order to form their judgement. This is the right decision.”