Wind farm hearing opens

Tuesday, 19 April 2005 12:00 AM

A hearing on controversial proposals to build a wind farm on the edge of the Lake District opens today in Cumbria.

Environmental groups back the plans to erect 27 turbines, each almost 400ft high, although tourist chiefs fear they could put visitors off coming to the area.

The wind farm in Whinash, would stretch seven kilometres to the Yorkshire Dales and generate enough power for 46,000 homes, making it one of the largest in Britain.

Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace claim that most locals are behind the plan, which would help the region reach its renewable energy targets.

They reject claims that the farm would ruin the landscape and cause too much noise, saying the motorway running through the area has already done this.

"That fine landscape includes the terrible M6, which has an awful impact on the landscape and the wildlife," Friends of the Earth regional co-ordinator Margaret Sanders told the Today programme.

She added: "They were thinking of trying to make it part of the national park, but I think that is just ridiculous."

Steve Molloy, project manager for West Coast Energy, which is behind the scheme, told the same programme that Whinash was the best location for the wind farm.

"There are renewable energy targets for Cumbria of 201 megawatts, and this will meet a third of that target," he said.

However, while Cumbria Tourist Board has said it is not against wind farms in principle, it argues that the development could set a "dangerous precedent".

Chairman Eric Robson told the Today programme: "Even the proponents of this scheme are saying that this is a pivotal moment, and we agree with them on that."

He warned: "If we lose this one, then the whole of the uplands of Britain are gone."

The Department for Trade and Industry will be responsible for granting planning consent for the project because of its size.

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