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Concern after rural village hit with second wind farm proposal
Credit: by Nick Lavigueur, Huddersfield Daily Examiner, www.examiner.co.uk 12 October 2010 ~~
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Translate: FROM English | TO English
A community that is battling a giant windfarm proposal has been hit with a second wind turbine plan.
Residents from tiny Birdsedge are anxiously waiting the outcome of a plan to install four 125m (410ft) tall turbines close to homes in the village.
Kirklees planning chiefs are currently considering the proposal by Pure Renewable Energy (PRE), which first emerged in February this year.
More than 500 people, backed by MP Simon Reevell, wrote to object to the idea and action group BOLT (Birdsedge and district Opposition to Large wind Turbines) was formed.
Now villagers have a new plan to consider after a local landowner put in his own application for a string of five 15m windmills at Meadow Nook Farm off Haddingley Lane, Cumberworth.
It is thought the applicant is also one of the landowners hoping to accommodate one of the larger industrial turbines from PRE.
Villager Matt Wright said BOLT had yet to formally discuss the second application but the general feeling was that the two proposals should be considered together.
He said: “What we’re worried about is the cumulative effect.
“It seems to be more of a wind farm than a personal one for somebody’s house.
“It does seem to be a little bit of mischief making.
“People living up here are quite happy to live with wind turbines around them. People aren’t opposed to them, it’s more about the proximity to where they live and work.”
Holme Valley councillor Nigel Patrick slammed the application and described it as a poorly thought out “cut and paste job”.
Clr Patrick said: “In eight years as a councillor I’ve never seen such a poorly planned application submitted by anybody.
“We’ve had quite a few people raising concerns which I’ve submitted to the planning officer.
“It’s full of claims but a lot of them are unsupported.
“The applicant isn’t taking into account the impact of five turbines on neighbouring properties.
“They’ve justified the effect of one but not the cumulative effect.
“The noise will be five times as much.
“I also don’t think they’ve justified why they need it.
“If he applied for one just for his farm and located near his farm rather than out by other people’s properties I think he’d stand a better chance of getting it through.
“What he’s done is located them as far from his own property as he could.
“It’s a cut and paste job where the agents are using information from a test site in Northumberland.”
Clr Patrick also hit out at companies who were targeting farmers as customers for wind turbines.
He added: “These companies are attending agricultural shows and encouraging farmers to buy them.
“They are in the business of making money, they’re not really interested in Green issues, they’re just trying to sell as many as they can.
Denby Dale councillor Jim Dodds said he agreed with villagers that the two applications needed to be considered together.
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