February 14, 2011
England

Wind farm set for old airfield near Raunds

Evening Telegraph, www.northantset.co.uk 14 February 2011

Controversial plans for a nine-turbine wind farm on an area popular with walkers is set to be given the go-ahead this week.

The application by Chelveston Renewable Energy to build nine 125m-tall turbines, access tracks, a visitors’ car park and a viewing area on the airfield site in Chelveston has been recommended for approval by planning officers,

Opposers of the scheme, including Chelveston Parish Council, action groups and residents are preparing to make their last stand against the application at the council meeting on Wednesday.

Chelveston Parish Council chairman Cllr Adrian Dale said: “The plan includes 6km of new road on what is the highest open plateau in the county.

“Who would want to walk next to a 50-ton waste plant and noisy wind turbines?

“The turbines are 33 storeys tall, and we have housing 750 metres from them.

“About 98 per cent of our constituents are opposed to an industrialised airfield, so I have a rock solid mandate to go there and argue against this plan on Wednesday.”

A spokesman for action group Say No to Chelveston Airfield Wind Farm said: “The turbines are higher than St Paul’s Cathedral, and of similar scale to the Express Lift Tower in Northampton.”

Chelveston Renewable Energy was granted planning permission to build a biomass waste processing plant on the site in 2008 and six generators in 2009.

Cllr Dale said: “I will be trying to show the council that all of these applications are linked and they are trying to turn the airfield into one big industrial site.”

A spokesman for Chelverston Renewable Energy said the development will complement the facilities planned for the site and will create about 109,000 MWh of renewable electricity every year.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/02/14/wind-farm-set-for-old-airfield-near-raunds/