March 5, 2012
England

Towering Wakefield turbine plan is causing a gale of protest

Yorkshire Evening Post, www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk 5 March 2012

Protesters and worried local residents are set to flock to a meeting on Tuesday night (March 6) to hear about plans for a pair of towering wind turbines taller than Wakefield Cathedral.

Homeowners in the village of Middlestown, near Wakefield, fear the proposals could see two turbines around 130m high put up which they say would be an eyesore, ruin the local scenery and drive house prices down.

Sparked into action, they have formed the No Coxley Turbines group, which has collected hundreds of signatures opposing the scheme in the wake of the decision by Sitlington Parish Council to commission a feasibility study into whether a wind turbine project could reduce electricity bills in the area.

Now they are urging as many locals as possible to come to tomorrow’s meeting and hear them put their views to parish council bosses.

Group member Kath Turner told the YEP: “We will get just 15 minutes to put our views across, but we are drafting a statement to let the council know that the majority of people in these villages do not want the council to progress with this and we don’t want them to use public money for something that most people do not want.

“This is the biggest issue to hit our parish in many years and our councillors must listen and respond to the views of so many of the people they are supposed to be representing. It’s a beautiful part of the word, well-used by the community and we don’t want it spoiled.”

More than 400 people have already attended two public consultation events about the proposals, held last week.

Sitlington Parish Council chairman Roger Bennett told the YEP: “At the moment, all the parish council has done is commission a company to carry out a feasibility study – there is no commitment either way.

“We have a commitment to the people of the parish to look at anything which may benefit the parish and we look at all types of renewable energy- not just wind turbines.”

The parish council meeting will take place at Middlestown School at 7pm on Tuesday.

For more details about the campaign, visit: www.nocoxleyturbines.co.uk

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/03/05/towering-wakefield-turbine-plan-is-causing-a-gale-of-protest/