August 15, 2012
England

Clowne wind turbine site blimp protest plan

Derbyshire Times | www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk 15 August 2012

A blimp airship is to be flown at the height of a proposed wind turbine, by an opposition group who claim it will be “devastating” for the landscape.

The four metre long, helium structure will be flown 67 metres above the hills of Clowne, the same height as the turbine proposed by applicants Empirica Investments.

They have applied for planning permission from Bolsover District Council to build on land forming part of Damsbrook Farm between Stanfree Cottage and Damsbrook Lane, Clowne.

But Rob Swift, chair of the Stanfree Action Group, said it will be visible for miles.

He said: “It will be devastating for the landscape. We have no idea of knowing the impact until it goes up, which is why we had the idea for the blimp.

“But we do know it will be visible from miles away, right from over at Stanedge and from Cutthorpe. We know because we can see the hills surrounding it from there. It is only about nine feet shorter than the Crooked Spire church.”

Another group member, Sarah Poiney, from Clowne Road, Stanfree, said it could ruin the rural landscape for residents, like her father, Mark Brown, who suffered a stroke in 2010 and is recovering at home.

She said: “It’s so beautiful where he lives. He goes and looks out and it really lifts his spirits. The turbine would ruin that. It will ruin it for hundreds of other households nearby.”

The group are waiting for approval from the Civil Aviation Authority before they fly the blimp, on land adjacent to the proposed site. They are inviting residents to send in their snaps of the blimp from their homes when it is erected, to info@wesaynoway.co.uk.

A spokesperson for Bolsover District Council said: “It will go to planning in September or October. We can’t comment further until it a planning decision has been made.”

Noone from Empirica Investments was available to comment.

Visit www.wesaynoway.co.uk for more details.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/08/15/clowne-wind-turbine-site-blimp-protest-plan/