January 16, 2012
England

Another wind farm proposed for dale

Teesdale Mercury, www.teesdalemercury.co.uk 16 January 2012

Plans to construct a wind farm next to the A66 near Barnard Castle have been unveiled.
Brothers Andrew and Mark Thompson hope to build five turbines south of the road on land at Ponder Gill, Cross Lanes.
The planned two-blade turbines would measure 45m from tip to toe, and an application is expected to be submitted to Durham County Council during the first part of this year.
Andrew Thompson said that the wind farm would not be “obtrusive”. Mr Thompson added: “We don’t want people to think that we are going for the large-scale wind farm – this is the smallest commercially viable installation.
“The turbines are a comparable size to those at Glaxo in Barnard Castle.
“We don’t believe they will be obtrusive – they won’t spoil the environment.”
He said the brothers inherited the farm, which has been in their family since 1968, but are pursuing their own careers away from farming.
“We are two brothers wanting to put our inheritance to good use and keep it in the family,” he said.
“I see the need to meet the Government’s renewable energy targets as being better served by farmers and landowners with local interests at heart – numerous smaller, less obtrusive installations such as this, rather than those proposed by the larger organisations.”
Surveys are being carried out and the brothers are in the process of contacting neighbours and nearby parish councils.
“We are looking for support for the application when it is made,” Mr Thompson added.
The planned site of the development is about 500 metres west of Cross Lanes Organic Farm Shop, which has been banned from putting up signs directing drivers to the new business.
As the Mercury has previously reported, the Highways Agency, which manages the A66, has said signs could distract motorists.
Hundreds of people have signed a petition urging the Highways Agency to change its position.
The Thompsons’ plans are the latest in a series of wind farm proposals for Teesdale stretching back more than a decade.
An application made by Banks Renewables to build five 125-metre turbines between Hamsterley Forest and the village of Woodland has yet to be decided.
RWE NPower Renewables dropped its plans for seven 125-metre turbines near Bolam when the Ministry of Defence raised concerns about the effects on its radar capabilities.
Two turbines at the Glaxo pharmaceuticals plant in Barnard Castle went online in 2004.
And in 1998, plans to erect 54m turbines on Barningham High Moor – within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – were eventually defeated in the High Court in London.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/01/16/another-wind-farm-proposed-for-dale/