April 27, 2012
England

Wind farm for Litlington?

By Ewan Fosket, www.royston-crow.co.uk 27 April 2012

Protestors against plans to build five 100m tall turbines claim the wind farm could cause “lasting damage to the landscape and quality of life to local residents”.

Farmer Ralph Parker has put forward the plans for HighField Farm in Litlington with a 1,600 page planning application predicting the turbines will become one of the “defining characteristics” of the region.

After Mr Parker spelled out his intent at a public meeting in November last year, villagers joined together to fight the plans.

Phil Jones, from the Stop Litlington Wind Farm group, said: “If ever there was an application that spelled out what the minister for climate change recently referred to as ‘installations in insensitive or unsuitable locations – too close to houses’ then this is it.

“Our analysis clearly shows that the development would cause lasting damage to the landscape and the quality of life of local residents in return for a pitiful amount of hopelessly intermittent and expensive energy.

“We urge everyone in the surrounding area to write to the planning department at South Cambs District Council, to their county, district and parish councils and to their MP to object to the application.

“With local support we can stop the industrialisation of our rural landscape and preserve our cherished local community and quality of life for current and future generations.”

The group has also taken issue with the predicted amount of energy that could be generated, which is estimated at 27 400 megawatts of electricity – enough for around 5,000 homes.

An investment of around £10m-£15m is needed for the project and Mr Parker is working with Engena, a renewable energy consultancy, on the Highfield project.

If councillors rubber stamp the proposal, the five turbines would flank the A505 along with a 60m anemometry mast, which would measure wind speed.

Mr Parker said: “I think we have a good site and it is near to where a lot of electricity is used.

“I take the opposite view to the protestors. It will have an impact as in they will see them and that’s as far as it goes.

“From my farm I can see Johnson Matthey and the chalk pit at Steeple Morden and the railway and the road. It depends what you think of as industrialisation. I say it is a very small price to pay for green energy.”

South Cambs District Council will discuss the wind farm in six weeks and will decide whether the project proceeds.

The action group is holding a meeting in Litlington Village Hall on May 17 at 7.30pm to discuss the wind farm.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/04/27/wind-farm-for-litlington/