THE applicant behind a £800,000 scheme to build a hydro-power turbine on the Avoncliff Weir could face a legal challenge, it was disclosed this week.

Susan Ann Lee, of Weavers Mill, has divided the local community at Avoncliff with her plans to build a hydro-power turbine capable of generating enough electricity to power 121 houses for a year.

Wiltshire Council granted her planning permission to go ahead on February 7 – but her next-door neighbour Alex Timms is understood to be considering legal action to stop the scheme.

Mr Timms, of River House, Avoncliff, who has strongly objected to her plans, said on Monday he was “taking stock” of the latest development and would be consulting legal advice.

“We are obviously a bit surprised by the decision. We were expecting it to go through committee. We had been told that it would, although that was verbally and not in writing.

“We can’t quite believe it because it requires access through our garden and our water. We are taking stock of the situation and will be taking legal advice to see what we can do.”

Avoncliff Hydropower Ltd, a company set up in January last year by Ms Lee and her partner, Tony Cunningham, plans to modify the existing weir structure on the River Avon.

They plan to install a Kaplan hydro-power turbine with a concrete housing structure, and provide a sluice gate, fish pass, fish by-wash, and an eel pass. Ms Lee has to start work on the scheme within three years or the planning permission will expire.

She said: “I am happy to have been granted planning permission. This is an exciting opportunity to produce renewable energy with a very low environmental impact, and long-term benefits for the planet.

“We are aware of Mr. Timms’s published complaints. We believe many of his objections are based on inaccurate assumptions and a misunderstanding of hydro-power technology. We are saddened he has chosen to widely disseminate these misconceptions.”

The hydropower turbine would operate all-year round and would have the capacity to generate 398MWh of electricity a year – enough to supply the average household consumption of 121 homes.

Before Ms Lee can start work, she will have to supply samples of the stonework she plans to use and to prove the hydro-power turbine will operate safely when the river is in flood.

She will also have to comply with public safety, wildlife, ecological and environmental management regulations and legislation.