January 23, 2008
England
England
One of the country’s tallest wind farms is being proposed for a site within two miles of more than two thousands homes.
An action group has already been formed and the plan for the eight turbines between Cotton Farm between Great Paxton, Graveley, Toseland and the Offords looks look likely to face vociferous opposition from those living in the villages.
npower is due to submit a formal planning application sometime this year and is currently seeking the views of residents by distributing 6,000 newsletters.
The proposal is for 416ft high turbines, 100ft higher than those near Warboys. Each turbine would produce between two and three mega watts of electricity, enough for between 6,900 and 10,000 homes.
A spokesman for npower explained why the site was chosen. He said: “It’s a good wind speed resource, there is good access to the local grid and the area w
e have chosen won’t impinge on the residential amenity.”
But Bev Gray, who has founded the Cotton Farm Action Group, disagrees with the suitability of the location.
The 64-year-old Graveley man, who supplies power plants with equipment and has worked in the energy industry for 29 years, said: “The turbines they are going to put here are the highest in the UK on land. The reason they are so high is we are in a low wind speed area. To produce certain amount of power you have to push them higher and higher. They are absolutely huge.
“The blades are as long as a jumbo jets and the tips will be travelling at more than 200 mph, they will create a lot of noise.”
npower said they had received 342 responses to their newsletter, two thirds of which had been positive.
However, Mr Gray says the initial surveys by the action group found more than 90 per cent of locals opposed to it.
23 January 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/01/23/wind-turbines-not-welcome/