August 16, 2012
England

Wind farm firm plans turbines near Park

Yorkshire Post | www.yorkshirepost.co.uk 16 August 2012

Six wind turbines as high as 125m tall could tower over the North York Moors National Park.

Developer Banks Renewables has applied for permission to build the wind farm on agricultural land a mile north of the Park.

The company believes the site, near Guisborough, is ideal to general enough power to supply as many as 12,500 homes, saving the release of 80,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide.

Development director Phil Dyke said: “We’re right at the beginning of the consultation period; we’re currently a year away from the planning application.

“We don’t have all the details and answers but we do know the area of land has a maximum ability to take six turbines.”

The plans have been met with concern by the North York Moors National Park Authority, which said it needed to see more details before deciding on its response.

Park authority planning director Chris France said: “We will await the formal consultation from Redcar and Cleveland (Council) in due course, but in general it is better for the developer to contact us in advance to gauge the impact on protected landscapes at the earliest stage possible so that any concerns or objections can be considered and possible mitigation can be undertaken before a planning application is submitted.”

Mr Dyke said the company avoided developing in national parks because of the extra planning rules. “You look at the UK, whether it’s the Lakes or the Yorkshire Dales or North Yorkshire Moors – generally speaking they’re very attractive areas with hills and those are windy places, but there are rules saying they have to be protected.”

He added the turbines would be expected to produce power about 80 per cent of the time, but could not always operate because they rely on weather.

Meanwhile, Banks Renewables’ plans for a wind monitoring mast in Copmanthorpe near York remain stalled after a planning application was turned down last summer.

Mr Dyke said an announcement about the future of the site would come in the next six months.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/08/16/wind-farm-firm-plans-turbines-near-park/