March 15, 2011
England

Campaigners to fight renewed bid for windfarm on Bowland fells

Liz Roberts, Reporter, grough, www.grough.co.uk 14 March 2011

A power company has submitted plans for a scaled-down windfarm after planners refused its original application.

Community Windpower had wanted to build 20 turbines on a hill in the Forest of Bowland in Lancashire, but Lancaster City Council turned down the plans. The company withdrew an appeal against the decision that was to be heard in May.

Claughton Moor. Photo: Richard Webb CC-BY-SA-2.0

Now, a new application for 13 turbines has been submitted for the site on Claughton Moor and Whit Moor, within the Bowland area of outstanding natural beauty. An existing windfarm installation on nearby Caton Moor was built 15 years ago.

The site is on common land on the northern edge of the Forest of Bowland, overlooking the Lune Valley.

Campaigners have vowed to fight the new application, saying it would be close to the proposed extension to the Lake District national park.

Kate Ashbrook, general secretary of the Open Spaces Society, said: “We are pleased that Community Windpower has seen sense and withdrawn this heinous application. However, in parallel with the appeal, Community Windpower has submitted a further, very similar, application for 13 turbines of the same size on the same site to which we and many others have objected.

“The public has the right to walk over the whole area, and people’s enjoyment of this lovely hillside will be destroyed by the creation of a wind factory here. Furthermore, as part of the area is registered common land, the developers will need the Environment Secretary’s consent for works on common land, or approval for a land swap.

“We urge Lancaster City Council to reject this second damaging application, and let’s hope that Community Windpower will see sense for a second time and withdraw it also,” she added.

Dr Mike Hall, chairman of Friends of Eden Lakeland & Lunesdale Scenery echoed the OSS opposition and added: “This is just one important battle in a war against continued pressure for renewable energy schemes within the Lune Valley, driven by misguided Government policy.”

The power company said the 13 turbines would have a maximum height of 126.5m (415ft), saying they would ‘typically generate 39MW of clean, locally sourced electricity’.

Community Windpower also said it would still appoint an educational ranger to work with local schools, provide funding for environmental and eco-friendly community projects, educational presentations, student bursaries and sponsorship for community events.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/03/15/campaigners-to-fight-renewed-bid-for-windfarm-on-bowland-fells/