November 2, 2014
England

Anger from villagers as 200ft turbine installed in Lindal-in-Furness

By Katie Dickinson | The Westmorland Gazette | 1 November 2014 | www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk

Residents of a picturesque Furness village have spoken of their ‘anger’ after a 61-metre turbine was installed ‘on their doorstep.’

The 200ft high structure at Lindal-in-Furness was unanimously rejected by South Lakeland District Council’s Planning Committee in 2012 after emotional pleas from villagers.

But in December the decision was overturned by a Planning Inspector, who said the harm to the landscape was “outweighed by the strong economic and environmental benefits.”

The turbine has been built on land adjacent to the Colony Candles factory, and will supply power for the site.

Brian Martin, 75, said a number of villagers were going to continue their campaign against the turbine.

“There’s quite a lot of emotion about it because it’s very imposing structure and for people who face it directly there’s going to be constant movement.

“Most people moved here with the specific purpose of living in a beautiful rural location, and they’ve worked hard to pay for it.

“There’s no question that this will devalue the properties and people are watching their investment disappear in front of their eyes, not to mention the potential impact on tourism.”

The energy from the turbine will help power the factory with all excess put into the National Grid.

Wax Lyrical’s managing director Joanne Barber said: “It is a significant investment that has been made by our landlords and demonstrates how we are all committed to the environment. We are the beneficiary of this investment and it guarantees us a supply of green energy on the site for the future and that really does help us improve our green credentials going forward.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/11/02/anger-from-villagers-as-200ft-turbine-installed-in-lindal-in-furness/