Daffodil turbine first of its kind

31 August 2018

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A 62.5 metre green wind turbine with yellow blades and a nacelle has been installed on land behind The Royal Mint’s factory site and Royal Mint Experience visitor attraction in Llantrisant. It was painted to look like a daffodil and is part of The Royal Mint’s eco-energy drive. Cooke & Arkwright’s Land Agency negotiated the terms of the land agreement for the turbine.

Russell Davies, Associate Director said, “The turbine will provide electricity for The Royal Mint and contribute to their green energy programme. Cooke & Arkwright’s Land Agency team have represented many landowners across South and West Wales and Herefordshire in successfully negotiating leasing arrangements and rents with renewable energy developers for wind and solar farms on their land.

“To my knowledge this is a unique turbine, the first fully painted one in the UK and possibly a world-first, as they are all traditionally painted white. It has already attracted a great deal of social media attention and hopefully will become something of a landmark.”

Stuart Mitchell for The Royal Mint said, “The turbine’s primary objective is to generate electricity from a renewable resource and supports The Royal Mint’s energy sustainability programme. The fact that we have painted the turbine in the colours of the national flower of Wales is in recognition of The Royal Mint’s celebration this year of 50 years of being based in Wales. It also serves as a positive local landmark highlighting our Royal Mint Experience visitor attraction which receives nearly 100,000 visitors a year from around the world.”

Cooke & Arkwright’s Land Agency identifies energy sector property investments for institutional clients. It also handles valuation and compensation claims in connection with utilities work and negotiates wayleaves and easements over private land. Its Business Rates department advises wind and solar farm operators on business rate liabilities.

Cooke & Arkwright have been providing rating valuation advice to The Welsh Rugby Union Limited (“WRU”) and Millennium Stadium plc for many years. They were recently successful in achieving substantial reductions in the assessments of the Millennium Stadium, covering both the 2005 and 2010 rating list. These negotiated reductions yielded savings of c.£3.5m which, crucially, allows the WRU to re-invest in rugby throughout Wales. They advise the WRU across the group portfolio including the National Centre of Excellence in the Vale of Glamorgan. The valuation issues across the WRU portfolio are complex requiring a high level of understanding of the funding and finances of professional sport in Wales. Cooke & Arkwright’s experience and understanding of these issues and application to the rating valuation have yielded these substantial negotiated reductions. The WRU and the Millennium Stadium entrust our work to organisations with the required levels in experience and expertise in dealing with these complex issues. I am glad to say we have this expertise in Wales. I would have no hesitation in recommending ratepayers making use of this Welsh based expertise.

The Welsh Rugby Union Limited, Welsh Rugby Union Group