CAMPAIGNERS against the construction of a wind farm near Whitchurch were accused of presenting “misleading” information to a council.

Whitchurch town councillor Claire Isbester raised concerns at a town council meeting about the process by which the council had made a decision to object to EDF Energy Renewables’ plans to build 14 turbines at Bullington Cross, near the junctions of the A34 and A303.

She referred to a previous meeting at which councillors heard from several objectors, before deciding to object to the plans for the site, which straddles Basingstoke and Deane, Test Valley and Winchester City Councils.

The town council has no power on planning matters but its views will be taken into account by the three authorities when they decide on the application.

Cllr Isbester said: “They were well-prepared people who came along with what they presented as information, but a lot of it was misleading.”

But Cllr Linda Thomas said it was the responsibility of individual councillors to look at the plans in full detail.

She added: “It’s a long and tedious process and involves a lot of information.”

Cllr Isbester said: “Even if the application is rejected this time, it won’t go away and if it was back again, I think we should have a rational discussion.”

She told The Gazette afterwards: “I wished for me and others present to be able to make an informed decision about whether the Bullington wind farm project would be beneficial overall, but I found much of the information presented was misleading and inaccurate.”

However, she claimed her comments were not criticising anyone, and was unable to say who she believed had presented misleading information.

She did, however, add: “The argument about the beauty or otherwise of a view seems to me entirely aesthetic and personal, so I was not persuaded that the presence of, we were told eight but in fact it is five, turbines on the horizon at a wedding venue would ruin the photographs.”

Helen Butler, who owns Clock Barn, a wedding venue in Whitchurch, was one of those who presented objections to councillors.

She told The Gazette: “Without knowing what she (Cllr Isbester) thinks is inaccurate, I can’t comment, other than to say that, to the best of my knowledge, everything I said was on background research.”

She added that the wind farm would “destroy” her business, which she said has a “unique selling point” of being in the middle of the countryside.

Whitchurch Town Council objected to the plans on the grounds that the turbines are not appropriate for the proposed location and could be detrimental to the viability and character of Whitchurch.