January 24, 2014
England

Council wind plan ‘risks littering countryside with rotting hulks’

By Chris Jones | Manchester Evening News | 24 Jan 2014 | www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Council plans to build a series of publicly-owned wind turbines across Rochdale risk littering the countryside with ‘rotting hulks’, a councillor has warned.

Rochdale council is currently pursuing plans to build a string of small and medium-sized turbines across the borough.

Backers say the turbines will make the council more self-sufficient and could generate over £1m each year to fund services by selling surplus power back to the National Grid.

But Coun Pat Sullivan said she feared the turbines would become ‘rotting hulks’ and urged the council to clamp down on the number of them being built both by the council and individuals.

She said: “I bet in 20 years time they will be reduced to nothing more that great rotting hulks that litter our beautiful countryside.”

Coun Sullivan’s warning comes after Rochdale council revealed it wants to build up to 12 turbines.

The first pilot turbine is due to be constructed at the former Hill Top Primary Schoo l in Kirkholt, with 11 more planned to be built at council-owned sites.

Rochdale council leader Coun Colin Lambert said the town needed to harness its wind energy to generate cash to plug funding gaps.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/01/24/council-wind-plan-risks-littering-countryside-with-rotting-hulks/