September 14, 2007
England

Village site for windfarm plan

Controversial plans for a series of eight wind turbines near Abbots Bromley look set to come to fruition after energy giant Airtricity announced plans to submit a planning application this week.

The firm has revealed proposals to submit a scheme for a wind farm of up to eight turbines on the Bagot’s Park Estate north of Abbots Bromley.

But a series of public consultations which took place this week have shown a mixed reaction to the proposals from members of the close-knit communities affected.

Abbots Bromley Parish Councillor Linda Fox attended an exhibition in the village hall on Monday, and said many people seemed set against the scheme.

Speaking to The Post this week, she said: “I was at the exhibition for about an hour on Tuesday and it seemed more people were against the idea than for it.

“If eventually given the go ahead, it will have a dramatic impact, especially in Marchington.”

In anticipation of the proposed application to develop a wind farm at Bagot’s Park, several pages about wind farms have been added to the Abbots Bromley village web site.

The value and impact of wind farms is the source of intense debate with strong opinions expressed both for and against this form of renewable energy.

The web pages at www. abbotsbromley.com/windfarm provide some brief details of the proposal, comparisons to the existing power station at Rugeley and links to an extensive range of additional material that will enable local people to investigate the subject more thoroughly.

Chairman of the Parish Council David Eatough said people need to weigh up the facts, and decide whether or not they were in favour themselves.

He said: “We would like as many people as possible to try and understand the implications of the proposed development.

“We hope that by providing access to a variety of information and points of view, we can help those who may be affected to reach their own conclusions and raise the level of debate on this potentially contentious proposal.”

Airtricity said this week that based on figures from existing wind farms, it is estimated that the development will save more than 41,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually and generate up to

18.4MW of electricity, enough for approximately 10,000 homes, or about 20% of the households in East

The site has good wind speeds and is one of a number being developed in England by Airtricity.

The turbines will be a maximum height of 112 metres to the blade tip, and will be laid out differently to a previous application which was withdrawn.

Following the exhibitions, details of the application, together with a comprehensive Environmental Statement, will be finalised for submission to East Staffordshire Borough Council, who will consult widely before reaching a decision.

A previous scheme by ABEnergy to install wind turbines in the same location was dropped in 2005 after much opposition from villagers.

For more information about the windfarm application visit www.abbotsbromley.com/windfarm

iclichfield

12 September 2007


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/09/14/village-site-for-windfarm-plan/