A wind turbine at a Luton infant school which has stood unmoving for more than four years is going to a new home.
The 15metre-high wind turbine at Crawley Green Infant School was installed in October 2009 and a neighbour contacted the Herald & Post this year to ask why it had never been switched on.
It turns out the wind turbine was too noisy and had to be switched off.
A school spokesperson said: “We applied for planning permission and carried out all testing required, including extensive acoustic testing. Once installed, the wind turbine proved to be far noisier than we were led to believe. Following consultation with the local authority the wind turbine has remained switched off.”
During the planning consultation in 2009, several objections were made amid fears the turbine would be too noisy, but the school said it would only make a “low swishing sound” and convinced council officers it would not disturb nearby residents.
When it was erected, the school’s neighbours said the noise was “like a helicopter taking off” and “absolute hell”, resulting in it being turned off.
Crawley Green Infants was the first Luton school to receive the Eco Schools green flag award for its work to help the environment and it also has solar panels which are a quieter source of clean energy for the school.
The school spokesperson said: “These panels have been producing clean energy effectively for the school. Happily, we are now in the process of arranging for the wind turbine to be moved to a remote location outside Luton where it will be used to harvest clean energy.”