Row over wind turbines continues
A battle over plans for two huge wind turbines in the Lancashire countryside is to begin again.
Cornwall Light and Power is to re-apply for permission to build two 80m turbines at Orchard End, near Eagland Hill, between Garstang and Pilling.
Wyre Council threw out plans for the turbines, which have blades which would stretch to 125m at their peak, in May last year after more than 300 objections were received.
The developers say the new plans include fresh assurances that the turbines will not devastate the area’s bird population.
It comes as another controversial wind turbine proposal, at the Dew-Lay cheese factory at Garstang, was this week approved after an appeal.
A statement from Cornwall Light and Power says since their application was rejected last May, the company has carried out new technical work including further bird surveys, which they claim confirm the suitability of the site.
The company says that, collectively, the wind turbines could generate enough electricity to meet the needs of 2,000 households every year.
Steve Allen, development manager at the company, said: “We are confident that these plans represent one of the best prospects for clean, renewable energy in Wyre Borough.
“We can also reassure local people that the new studies we have completed confirm that the turbines would not have a detrimental effect on the ecology of the area, including the pink-footed geese population.”
The company is also pledging cash to Lancashire’s charitable community fund, The Green Machine.
When rumours of a resubmission surfaced last year, Julie Higham, of the Eagland Hill Action Group, said: “We are expecting they will appeal but we are ready for it and we will be stronger next time.”
She was unavailable for comment on Thursday.
Plans for one of the country’s biggest on-shore wind turbines, at the Dew-Lay cheese factory, were approved on appeal.
Despite hundreds of objections, work on the £2.4m turbine will begin later this year and it will be up and running by spring next year.
Nick Kenyon, operations director at Dewlay Cheesemakers, said: “At Dewlay we hope that this will not only put the region on the map in a positive light, but also prompt other manufacturers nationwide to take their environmental responsibility to the next level.”
Inspector Ruth MacKenzie said that the turbine could “become a symbol of the Fylde’s identity and something which residents and visitors would come to value and enjoy.”
29 April 2009
By Matthew Squires
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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