March 14, 2008
England
England
Wind campaigners in Durham are gearing up for another planning battle despite claims that the county has already met its wind targets.
Cornwall Light and Power is planning to submit a application to build four turbines on land at South Sharpley Farm near Seaham, a part of Durham which residents say is already overdeveloped.
The four turbines would join two others at High Sharpley, just a few hundred yards away.
Across Easington a growing group of concerned residents are calling on developers to think again.
Stop Turbines Organised Protest (STOP) say the turbines will be an unneeded addition to the landscape.
Spokeswoman for the group Anne Brough said the county has exceeded its wind targets and is becoming a dumping ground for developers.
“No one in the village wants these turbines going up, but we fear our views will not be listened to.”
The group has been shown documents by Durham County Council which reveal that under regional planning rules, the county is expected to produce 82 megawatts, with each MW responsible for some 8,760 hours worth of energy each year.
And by 2020 Durham has an aspirational target of around 160 MW.
But when all the turbines either built or granted planning permission in Durham are added together, the total energy already available comes to 132.22 MW.
Now STOP have called for recognition that Durham has already played its part.
Rick Long, from the council’s planning policy team, said meeting the targets was an achievement to celebrate.
Bob Morgan of Cornwall Light and Power, said: “We have made a number of alterations to our proposals based on feedback received from the local community in April last year.”
By Adrian Pearson
14 March 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/03/14/wind-farm-battle-brews/