Despite original proposals being rejected by local councillors, the Welsh government has confirmed that they will allow Hendy Wind farm to be built.

Lesley Griffiths, the Secretary of Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs, said that the new seven-turbine facility would outweigh any potential negative impacts. The new wind farm will be built close to Llandrindod Wells, at Hendy.

Griffiths said that she had taken the decision to overturn the council inspector's original report. Powys Council responded and said that they would be reviewing her decision and the facts behind it with interest and seeking to understand its implications.

The plan was submitted by Njord Energy, who will build a wind farm large enough to generate sufficient clean energy for 10,000 homes. It will be located between Llandegley and Penybont at Hendy, and the original proposals were put forward in 2014 and then overturned by the council in 2017.

Powys council said that they were concerned that the wind turbines would blight a local beauty spot and risk preventing access to public rights of way.

Ms Griffiths said that the planning inspector assigned to the case had fully considered all of the issues but that she hadn't agreed with his conclusion, adding that wind power formed a core part of the energy strategy for Wales. She said that local decision-makers should factor in national plans for renewables when reviewing applications for new green energy developments.

She also added that the benefits of the project would outweigh any potential negative concerns around visual blight and public access, saying that clean energy was essential to help Wales go forward with its plans to develop a carbon-neutral economy, moving away from damaging fossil fuels and embracing new technologies that would create jobs and boost the local economy.