FRUSTRATED residents in Sopley are once again waiting patiently after councillors at Hampshire County Council voted to defer a decision on a wind turbine at the village school.

Villagers are protesting about the potential noise levels.

The county council application proposes a 15m high turbine on the playing field at Sopley Primary School in South Ripley.

Nicky Passmore, who lives next door to the school, said the turbine would be running at about 60 kilowatt per hour and producing 50 decibels of noise, with the normal amount of noise in the area currently averaging 20 decibels.

Along with objections from Sopley Parish Council and New Forest District Council, the environmental health officer at the district council also expressed last minute concerns about the loss of amenity inside and outside the closest neighbouring property.

The officers concerns came about due to a noise report dated October 30, which led to the objection from the district’s environmental health officer.

The regulatory committee at the county council deferred the decision on the application on November 11, asking for more information and investigation into the potential noise levels.

The application has already been withdrawn once due to the committee’s chairman and the vice-chairman requiring more information on the technology and impacts on the environment of the turbine.

Nicky Passmore said: “It’s incredibly frustrat-ing to have to wait until after Christmas for a decision on this.

“I shall be writing to our MP Desmond Swayne to ask for his support on this. So many residents are against it that it seems madness to continue with it.

“They have had months to compile all this information yet it keeps getting delayed.”

The application could return to the county council’s regulatory committee in January.