Asked by: Lord Botham (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Ministry of Defence has raised any objections to date to the proposed Hope Farm wind farm; and what assessment they have made of the level of risk posed by the proposed wind farm to national security.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
At this stage the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has not raised formal objections to the proposed Hope Farm Wind Farm, as it is still at the pre-application (scoping study) stage.
Based on the size and location of the turbines as defined in the scoping submission, the MOD has completed technical assessments which indicate the development could obstruct low-flying military aircraft and adversely impact air radar systems at Remote Radar Head in Brizlee Wood and RAF Leeming.
The MOD has therefore registered concerns at the pre-application stage.