AN ENERGY firm has been ordered to remove a doctored photograph from literature about a proposed wind farm near Lutterworth after complaints by campaigners.
The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) made the ruling against Broadview Energy Ltd, a firm which has applied for planning permission to build a four-turbine wind farm on an area of land called Low Spinney, between Gilmorton, Dunton Bassett and Ashby
Magna.
The image, which showed how the 125-metre turbines might look from the entrance of Gilmorton Lodge Farm, in Gilmorton Road, featured in leaflets published by the firm last year.
However, after complaints made by a campaign group fighting against the proposals, Broadview Energy has been told not to use the image on subsequent literature.
The ASA ruled that the image presented a misleading representation of how the wind farm might look.
Tony Leatham, from campaign group Against the Wind Farm at Low Spinney, said; “I am an engineer and I realised very quickly that the scale of the wind turbines shown in the photo montage was incorrect, and made them look about one third of their true height.
“The ASA did not uphold the complaint at first, and it seemed to me that they were acting in the best interest of the wind farm developers.
“The red mist came down and I had to act, so I invoked the ASA’s own complaints procedure, and got in touch with Sir John Caines, their independent reviewer, who upheld my complaint.”
Lisa Ross, spokesman for Broadview Energy, said the firm was disappointed by the ruling because the picture had been approved once before, in December last year.
She added: “The image was produced using wind farm modelling software in line with standards set down by Scottish Natural Heritage, which are followed by the industry and are accepted by councils across the UK. Broadview Energy maintains the image was accurate but we apologise if anyone was confused by it.
“These photo montages are an important tool for understanding the visual impact of a wind farm, but a small two-dimensional picture will never be a substitute for the actual view.”
Broadview Energy submitted its planning application to Harborough District Council in February this year.
The district council is yet to set a date to consider the wind farm application.
