June 25, 2012
England

Wind turbine plans leave East Bridgford divided

Nottingham Post | www.thisisnottingham.co.uk 25 June 2012

Plans for a 60-metre-high wind turbine near East Bridgford have divided villagers.

A planning application for a turbine on Oldhill Lane, north of the village, has been submitted to Rushcliffe Borough Council by a company called East Bridgford Community Group.

Six villagers joined forces to form the company and if they get permission for the turbine, they will sell shares to raise the money to build it.

They say the turbine would make East Bridgford more environmentally friendly and produce enough electricity to supply half of the village’s buildings.

But another group opposes the plan, saying the turbine would be inefficient and spoil the landscape.

The application follows separate proposals for a 122-metre- high wind turbine near the River Trent in nearby Gunthorpe by energy developer Partnerships for Renewables, on which the Post reported in June last year.

A planning application for this has yet to be submitted.

David Atkins, one of the directors of East Bridgford Community Group, said: “We are convinced as a group that the climate change that we seem to be experiencing is being aggravated by human activity and the release of CO2.

“We are putting this wind turbine up to reduce East Bridgford’s output.

“You could probably hear it if you go right past it but I don’t think there would be a noise issue for villagers.

“We are expecting a 20-year life and will raise £1.5 million for village use.”

Robert Tweed, of campaign group Trent Hills Against Wind Turbines, said: “There may be benefits to wind turbines but the downsides are their unpopularity and damage to the landscape.

“These things don’t usually just come in ones and I fear that if it is approved, the turbine proposed in Gunthorpe is more likely to get through.”

Brian Stein, another member of Trent Hills Against Wind Turbines, said: “There are increasingly cases of people who live near wind turbines suffering health problems because of lack of sleep.

“It’s a massive experiment, and I worry that in 10 years, we will realise we have made a mistake.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/06/25/wind-turbine-plans-leave-east-bridgford-divided/