May 20, 2008
England

Food firm submits wind turbine plan

Plans for a £2 million wind turbine at a Bradford soft drinks factory are back on track after a 12-month delay.

Princes Soft Drinks has submitted a planning application for the scheme at its site in Weaverthorpe Road, Tong. If approved, it would reduce the company’s energy costs by about 20 per cent.

John Godfrey, Princes’ operations manager, said submission of the planning application had been delayed until a bat and bird survey had been completed and this had taken 12 months.

It had originally been hoped to have the 400ft turbine up and running this year, but the company wanted to carry out extensive checks to hopefully ensure its smooth progress through the planning procedure.

Mr Godfrey said: “We are a 24-hour-a-day seven-days-a-week operation and the turbine will function around the clock.

“We therefore decided to check that it would not damage any migrating birds and also that our site was not occupied by bats which are protected species.”

Mr Godfrey said the bird and bat survey was one of several checks that had been carried out in planning for the 2.3 megawatt turbine which would be the tallest in the area.

Princes had also carried out surveys covering noise pollution, the visual impact of the wind turbine, along with its potential impact on radar and radio frequency systems.

Mr Godfrey said that public consultations had also been taking place during preparation of the scheme.

An application for a wind turbine has also been submitted by the Lighthouse Group for its site on Trevor Foster Way, near the M606, where it operates a centre for young people who have been excluded from school.

The original proposal for a 15m-high turbine at the Lighthouse Group’s £4.6m centre on a former landfill site off Rooley Lane was rejected by councillors following a petition from local residents.

With green issues now at the top of the business agenda, Bradford Chamber of Commerce is increasingly busy helping firms to comply with legislation, carry out energy audits and get support for schemes.

The Chamber represents about 1,100 businesses.

Bob Hudson is the chamber’s environmental support officer and provides help and assistance on a wide range of energy-related matters.

He runs regular seminars and briefings of all aspects of environmental improvements and helps firms meet increasingly stringent regulations.

Mike Cartwright, the chamber’s policy manager, said: “We are seeing more businesses of all types actively looking for advice on how to reduce energy consumption and bring down their costs, which have become a major burden.

“Going green is now a vital area of running a successful business. Bob is visiting more companies in the area than ever to offer expert advice and guidance.”

By Chris Holland

Telegraph & Argus

20 May 2008


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/05/20/food-firm-submits-wind-turbine-plan/