October 26, 2007
England

Low turnout encourages windfarm firm

Three new wind turbines between Broughton Moor and Flimby could provide power for 4,193 homes and over 10,000 people.

West Coast Energy, the company proposing the wind farm on Flimby Farm, held an exhibition in Flimby School on Wednesday to show local people the claimed benefits.

The company said the turbines would provide 99 per cent of the power needs of Flimby, Seaton and Ewanrigg.

They would take five months to build at a cost of £7.5 million and between 20 and 30 per cent of the work could go to local contractors.

Project manager Samantha Crosby said there was no intention to build any more than three turbines.

She felt the turbines were ideally placed where there were already large electricity pylons, so the visual impact would be minimal.

Only 30 people visited the exhibition, and Ms Crosby said the low number seemed to indicate that there was not a great deal of concern.

She said: “Some were very much against wind turbines and some in favour.”

Residents were given questionnaires which will be collated and an environmental impact report compiled.

She added: “Once that is done we will look at putting in a planning application for the turbines. That is likely to be November, to get the application in before the end of the year.”

Keith Berwick, 68, of Beckside, said: “We’re going to be surrounded by them; we will have the ones on the water at Robin Rigg then these ones behind us.

“This has come right out of the blue for the people of Flimby.”

Belinda Kent, of Coniston Avenue, said she believed more should be done to explore other green options like wave power and educating the public to become energy efficient.

She said a series of smaller wind turbines would have less of a visual impact on the landscape than the ones planned. She added: “Will we have any views that aren’t taken over by wind turbines?”

Times & Star

25 October 2007


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/10/26/low-turnout-encourages-windfarm-firm/