August 15, 2007
England
England
Developers behind plans for a 160ft wind turbine in a moorland village say they are still undecided whether or not to press ahead with the plans.
Cornwall Light and Power Ltd have told the Cornish Guardian they are still mulling over plans for a giant turbine near Pensilva – but do expect to make a final decision by the end of the month.
Bosses at the company say they “have to be sure” the local community is behind them, as they will also operate the turbine and therefore live side-by-side with villagers.
A recent public exhibition in Pensilva had to abandoned after objectors “hijacked” the meeting, said developers.
However, there was plenty of support for the plans from locals, as Bob Morgan, project manager, explained.
“If you had attended the meeting you would probably have been led to believe that everyone was 100% against the plans,” he said.
“But we also handed out survey forms to people and the results from this show something of a 50/50 split in opinion.
“We have to be sure that there is a depth of public support out there for this project as, if planning consent is given, we will also be operating the turbine and have to live side by side with the local community.
“We are an open company and welcome anyone getting in touch with us – even objectors. If we do decide to go ahead with the plans then we will do all we can to help locals who are unhappy, such as with double glazing or tree planting.
“But we don’t want to get into a slanging match with objectors. A final decision will be made by the end of the month.”
Objections had been raised by action group Green Caradon Against Turbines (Green CATS), who argued that wind energy was not a viable alternative to fossil fuels.
The company claim the turbine will produce 108mw of energy – enough for 900 homes.
15 August 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/08/15/company-undecided-over-giant-turbine/