A couple in northern France has won a legal battle to have 10 wind turbines taken down because they spoil the “bucolic and rustic” view from their 18th century chateau, reports The Daily Telegraph.
The ruling is seen as a major victory for guardians of French heritage and has sent alarm bells ringing throughout the country’s wind farm industry. It is the first time a court has ordered operating wind turbines to be dismantled.
When Erik Wallecan, a retired vet from Belgium, and his wife Ingrid, bought the Chateau de Flers in the Pas-de-Calais in 1996, it was a dream come true. With the chateau in a state of disrepair, they spent a decade restoring the listed building with 42 acres of land to its former glory. They then set about transforming part of the building into a guesthouse.
In 2007, they were horrified to discover that their view had been blighted by the construction of 10 wind turbines each 360ft high.
“The first evening when we arrived in the chateau (from Anvers in Belgium) after their construction, it was a firework display; we wondered where these lights were coming from. We were not even aware that these (wind) projects existed,” Mrs Wallecan told Le Monde.
Three huge turbines are visible when gazing across the park from the bay windows in the chateau’s grand salon. “Every day we have to suffer the visual and noise pollution. I can see the turbines from everywhere in the castle, from every room,” said Mr Wallecan.
Furious, the couple took the turbine operators, La Compagnie du Vent (The Wind Company), a subsidiary of the energy giant GDF Suez, to court.
Read more of this report from The Daily Telegraph.