Planners agree to bigger Ovenden Moor turbines
A plan to replace a windfarm near Bronte Country in West Yorkshire with 115m-high turbines has been approved.
Calderdale Council gave permission for the current 23 turbines on Ovenden Moor to be replaced with nine new structures - which are twice as high.
The council said the scheme may yet be called in by the government.
The Bronte Society said it showed "insensitive disregard" for the area's heritage.
The current turbines at the site stand at 48.9m high at the tip of the blade and offer a combined capacity of 9.2 megawatts.
Now Calderdale Council says its planning committee has decided to approve the scheme for the new structures.
These are envisaged as nine, three-bladed turbines with a maximum height of 115m.
The towers are planned to stand 75m high and the blades at a maximum radius of 40m.
Access to the site for vehicles is planned from Cold Edge Road.
But the plan has drawn criticism from the Bronte Society who fear the large turbines will detract from the area's tourism appeal.
In a statement, the society said: "The Bronte Society wishes to express its disappointment with the decision by Calderdale Council to grant planning permission to Yorkshire Wind Power for the repowering of the windfarm at Ovenden Moor.
"We feel that this decision demonstrates a lack of consideration for a unique heritage landscape which has internationally renowned cultural associations.
"It shows, also, an insensitive disregard for the negative impact upon the environment and upon the local economy of Haworth and the area known as Bronte Country."
Emma Clark, from Yorkshire Windpower, an organisation backed by power generator E.ON who is responsible for the scheme, said it would "reach out" to the community.
She added: "We're one step closer to contributing to the energy targets in the UK."