Fears over wind mast at Cotgrave Reservoir
A proposed 60ft wind mast at Cotgrave Reservoir would be “harmful to the character of the area”, councillors claim.
Cropwell Bishop parish councillors unanimously refused to support the application, which has been submitted by Severn Trent Water.
However, Rushcliffe Borough Council is expected to grant planning permission to erect the temporary 17cm wide mast, for two years, on Thursday.
The proposed mast, next to the reservoir and east of the A46, will monitor the speed and direction of the wind.
If the results are positive, a wind turbine could be built to power the sewage treatment site.
Coun Alan Wilson, chairman of Cropwell Bishop Parish Council, said: “It’s very intrusive but the main thing is it would be harmful to the character of the area, and it would overlook Cotgrave.”
A spokesman for the water company said: “Severn Trent Water supplies water and waste water services to over 3.7 million household and business customers.
“Delivering these services uses huge amounts of electricity and there is a need to find alternative and renewable energy sources to limit the impact that this has on the environment.”
Tony Jarrow, the chairman of Cropwell Bishop Village Plan, said: “You have to get energy from somewhere. It’s almost advertising the way that we’re supporting renewable energy, which I think is good.”
Severn Trent has also applied to erect a 60-metre mast at Newthorpe, near Giltbrook.
Greasley Parish Council has not raised any objections to this and Broxtowe Borough Council is expected to grant planning permission at a meeting this evening.
The two proposed sites in Notts are both on green-belt land, but both Rushcliffe and Broxtowe Borough Council state that the impact on the green belt is reduced due to the mast being temporary.
A spokesman for Rushcliffe council said: “In addition, the potential harm is outweighed by the wider environmental and economic benefits associated with investigating the potential of the site to generate power from harnessing the wind.”
Another planning application would need to be submitted to build a wind turbine.
17 November 2008
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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