March 21, 2007
U.K.
U.K.
An energy company is to hold a public meeting over plans to create a new wind farm near Penistone less than a month after councillors approved controversial plans for a similar development.
E.ON UK wants to install three wind turbines on a site at Blackstone Edge and has organised a public exhibition at Crow Edge Community Centre next Tuesday and Wednesday of exactly what they propose.
Barnsley Council approved plans for three turbines on the edge of the Hepworths’ site near Crow Edge, despite 480 letters of objections and concerns raised by Dunford Parish Council.
That application was made by Banks Developments and brought to a close more than a decade of wrangling over wind turbines on the site, which is close to an existing 13-turbine development, above Thurlstone at Royd Moor.
Originally, Barnsley Council had rejected an application for seven turbines there, first submitted in 1994, but the authority now believes developments are necessary to help the authority meet its quota of renewable energy by 2010.
E.ON UK project developer Marilena Apseridou said: “We believe it’s extremely important to us to keep the local community fully informed, and that’s why we’ve set up this exhibition.
“I’d certainly like to urge local people to come along to see the plans, to talk to us about any issues they might have and to find out why we think this is such a great place for a wind farm.”
“We’re also going to have energy efficiency experts on hand to offer tips on how you can save energy around the house.”
According to E.ON, the three turbines could generate enough electricity to power up to 3,800 homes but objectors claim they are an unreliable source of power because they rely on wind.
The Royd Moor site is part owned by E.ON and the company says it produces enough power to keep 3,300 homes in electricity each year.
Objectors to the Hepworth’s development cited a series of concerns about its visual impact and the potential for the blades to create a strobe-lighting effect in sunlight, which could affect homes in the area.
Barnsley Council conceded the application was controversial but officials believed the move to scale down the number of turbines from seven to three mitigated the impact of the development.
By Paul Whitehouse
21 March 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/03/21/public-to-have-a-say-over-plan-for-new-wind-farm/