July 11, 2012
England

Public meeting called in a bid to stop Staffordshire wind turbines being given green light

By Justine halifax | Birmingham Mail | www.birminghammail.net 11 July 2012

Villagers fighting plans for huge wind turbines near their homes are to meet to discuss their battle campaign.

Families living in rural communities around Lichfield and Tamworth aim to fight off proposals for a string of turbines in the area.

A notice dished out to residents in Clifton Campville, Haunton, Harlaston and Wiggington warned: “Proliferation of huge wind turbines around Mease Valley and southern Staffordshire is a real risk”.

And the document called for action “before it’s too late” following claims a pre-application had been put forward for eight, 443 foot high wind turbines on land close to No Man’s Heath, between Clifton Campville, near Tamworth, and Chilcote, Leicestershire.

German firm Prowind has also submitted fresh plans for two, 330ft wind turbines at Hoggs Hill, Haunton, near Tamworth, to Lichfield District Council after earlier pulling plans for four 420ft turbines at the site.

It was not clear who was behind the new eight turbine bid but any formal plans will be submitted to North West Leicestershire District Council as the turbines would be just over the county border.

Lichfield’s Rural East County Coun Matthew Ellis said: “There are also huge wind turbines in the pipeline for other parts of Mease, Shenstone, rumours of Whittington and also Edingale.

“And, of course, the planning authority areas just outside Staffordshire, never mind the ones inside the county, don’t necessarily account for what’s going on planning wise ‘next door’, meaning risk of the compound effect of all these applications may well not be looked at in the round.

“It’s fair to say that, while still very large, the new Prowind application is smaller in numbers and in size than the one they pulled a few months ago.

“But, if approved, the Prowind application could easily open the door for a raft of approvals for even bigger ones across southern Staffordshire.

“That compound effect would be very significant on the landscape.”

The meeting will be held at Harlaston Village Hall on Sunday at 10am.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/07/11/public-meeting-called-in-a-bid-to-stop-staffordshire-wind-turbines-being-given-green-light/