It follows the secretary of state's decision to approve a six turbine scheme at Barmoor but reject the Moorsyde and nearby Toft Hill proposals.

Richard Mardon, managing director of Your Energy said: "The secretary of state has made the decision and we will respect it.

"We were pleased to read that the quality of our work was vindicated by the secretary of state who noted it complied with the regulations and provided sufficient information."

However, he expressed concern that Northumberland's target of generating 193MW of onshore wind energy by 2010 was well short of being met, with only 4.5MW currently installed.

"This is a shocking statistic, and not something to be celebrated by anyone who understands the impending energy crisis," said Mr Mardon.
He said the Moorsyde proposal for seven 110m tall turbines would have contributed at least 14MW to the region's renewable electricity generation.

The news was welcomed by Moorsyde Action Group (MAG) who campaigned against the proposal for almost six years.

Mike Maud, MAG chairman, said: "The fact that Your Energy Ltd is not seeking a judicial review of the decision comes as no surprise at all as they have absolutely no grounds to appeal.

"It would be difficult to find another wind farm planning application which had been so comprehensively dismissed by a planning inspector and secretary of state after being initially recommended for approval."

He added: "The scandal is not only the planning officer's original recommendation, but that it has taken nearly six years, and huge costs to local communities and the planning authorities, to confirm that this scheme contravened local, regional and national planning guidance.

"Also that, as well as having unacceptable impacts on the landscape, it would have had major adverse effects on the amenity of local people and would have breached noise limits and conditions."

In his conclusions, the secretary of state recognised the need for and the wider benefits of wind energy developments and noted the very substantial shortfall between Northumberland's targets for wind energy development and its predicted installed capacity for 2010.

However, he considered that in respect of the Moorsyde wind farm, the development would be seriously harmful to the principal views of the Cheviots and that there was significant potential for noise limits to be breached.

He felt these two factors were sufficiently significant to weigh against the wider benefits of wind energy development.

Meanwhile, planning officers at Northumberland County Council say the secretary of state's decision could have potential implications for future wind farm applications.

It has welcomed the weight accorded to landscape protection and in particular to cultural heritage issues and hopes it will encourage developers give more careful consideration to these issues in the design and location of future wind farm schemes.

However, it also recognises the need for wind energy developments to meet the Government's commitment to climate change issues and to significantly increase the proportion of the UK's energy which is generated by renewable sources.

A report to the council's planning committee stated: "The decision into the three Berwick wind farm appeals raises a number of issues which are relevant for the determination of other wind farm proposals in Northumberland.

"In particular, the significant weight attached by the secretary of state in the planning balance to the need for and the wider benefits of wind energy developments should be noted and taken into account in the consideration of future wind farm proposals.

"Careful consideration should also be given to the secretary of state's comments in respect of the very substantial shortfall which currently exists between Northumberland's targets for wind energy development and its predicted installed capacity for 2010.

"In this respect members should be mindful of the latest UK target of 30 per cent of energy generated by renewables."

The report continues: "Also to be taken into account in the consideration of future applications is the weight accorded in the decisions to both landscape and cultural heritage issues.

"In particular, the Toft Hill decision which recognised the unacceptable harm that would be caused by the development to the setting of the nationally important and scheduled bronze age site of the Duddo Stone Circle is welcomed.

"It is hoped that the Toft Hill decision will assist in ensuring that developers take sufficient account of the need to protect the historic environment of the county in the design and location of wind farm schemes."

The report also says the council must consider the importance given by the secretary of state to noise issues when he rejected the Moorsyde scheme.