PLANS for a new wind farm on the edge of the Cambrian mountains have been scotched by a judge - because of concerns that protected red kites may be shredded by turbine blades.

Developers hoped to build 27 turbines, standing 125 metres tall, beside the A44, about 10km east of Ponterwyd, and last year won the backing of a government planning inspector after a public inquiry.

But the then Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Amber Rudd, went her own way, rejected the inspector’s recommendation and refused planning permission in November last year.

The site was close to the Elenydd Mallean Special Protection Area and she was was unconvinced that the development would pose no real threat to the local population of protected red kites.

Would-be developers Mynydd y Gwynt Ltd said the risk to the birds would be "nil" and argued that Miss Rudd had misunderstood the threat and taken no account of measures it would take to protect the birds.

But this week the company’s High Court challenge to Miss Rudd’s decision was rejected by Mr Justice Hickinbottom.

Given the "important unknowns" in the case - including doubts about the number of red kites that might stray from the special protection area to forage on the site of the proposed wind farm - she was entitled to conclude that consent should be refused.

The wind farm was viewed as a nationally important infrastructure project, but the developers had never contended that planning permission should be granted on the basis of an "overriding public interest".

Natural Resources Wales had urged caution on Miss Rudd and she had made no legal error, the judge ruled.

The judicial review challenge was dismissed.