The UK Valuation Office Agency has begun setting some new precedents by approving property valuation reductions for some homes near wind farms. It appears that only a few properties have been downgraded so far, and it is unknown how many such requests have been submitted and denied.  As reported in The Telegraph:

In one recent case a couple saw the value of their home 650 yards from the Fullabrook wind farm near Braunton, Devon, fall from £400,000 to £300,000 according to a local agent’s estimate. The couple, who were not attempting to sell their house, told the VOA that the persistent whooshing noise caused by the turbines and the visual intrusion – including a flickering shadow when the sun is directly behind the blades – made their property less valuable. The VOA accepted their argument and agreed to move the property from council tax band F to band E, amounting to a saving of about £400 a year, the Sunday Times reported (subscription required).

The Sunday Times story goes on to note that the VOA has received other applications for property value reductions near wind farms, though the number is unclear because only those reaching appeal are made public.  At least three other properties have had reductions approved, though factors other than sound alone reportedly came into play.  At least one successful appeal, by Jane Davis, came after real estate agents refused to even list the property she had moved away from because of wind farm noise.