September 16, 2013
England

Cornwall village Ladock loses turbine bid

BBC News | 16 September 2013 | www.bbc.co.uk

A pioneering green energy project that won a £500,000 award has lost its bid for a 76m (249ft) high wind turbine.

Cornwall councillors rejected the turbine at Ladock after objections from local people about its impact.

Low Carbon Ladock (LCL) said the turbine would have generated £80,000 a year to make local homes more energy efficient.

The project was formed in 2010 after winning the government-run competition, Low Carbon Communities Challenge.

‘Great potential’

LCL, one of the first projects of its kind in the UK, has already provided a number of local homes with solar panels and other green energy devices.

Chairman Chris Jones said: “We have enough funding to improve two or three domestic properties a year.

“But we are told we have 165 households in fuel poverty so it would take 60 or 70 years to get round to all of them.

“Clearly we need to scale up our efforts if we are going to make a serious impact on this.”

Green energy group Regen South West said there was still a “great deal of potential” in community energy projects.

Chief executive Merlyn Hyman said: “The future of renewable energy development will have at its heart communities having more of a stake in future development and getting more of the benefits.

“That is the way we are going and I don’t think this decision will change that.”


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/09/16/cornwall-village-ladock-loses-turbine-bid/