Wind turbine near Heath and Reach out of action 'for months' as it waits for replacement part

A wind turbine close to the A5 at Heath and Reach has been temporarily put out of action because of a mechanical fault – with one resident claiming that it hasn’t been working for months.

The structure at the Checkley Wood wind turbine substation is awaiting a replacement part, according to Conservative Central Bedfordshire Council ward councillor Mark Versallion.

And it appears to have been out of service for three to four months with no sign of any maintenance work, according to a Buckinghamshire resident, who regularly passes it on the A5.

Heath and Reach councillor Versallion told the Leighton Buzzard Observer: “The current turbine has a mechanical fault and a replacement part from Germany is being waited for to repair it.

“A second turbine was granted planning permission in 2019 and applicant Arnold White Estates Limited is still intending to build it, some 400m south of the other one,” he explained.

The Leighton Buzzard-based developer submitted full plans to build and operate an electric vehicle charging station and electric bus depot near Heath and Reach in 2021.

The project at Garside Sands, Eastern Way, was described as “a 21st Century service station” for electric vehicles.

An underground cable would run to the Checkley Wood wind turbine substation, according to a report to Central Bedfordshire Council’s development management committee at the time.

“The charging hub would allow for a new electric bus service for developments on Clipstone Park and Chamberlains Barn in Leighton Buzzard, and for upgrading the town’s Dash Direct operation,” said the report.

“The power for the hub would be provided by the Checkley Wood wind turbine and Double Arches solar array via a storage battery.”

The four-acre site is on restored quarry land at Checkley Wood Farm, next to the A5.

After a wind turbine was approved by CBC in 2017, planning consent was awarded in 2020 for the solar array at the nearby quarry site.

This was to complement the wind generation, particularly during the summer months when average wind speeds are lower.