Developers want bigger turbines

By ksmith

THREE new wind farms destined for areas along the north coast will be generating electricity by the end of 2010.

However, one of them — at Crimp near Morwenstow — is still causing argument after the developers submitted plans to increase their height.

Twenty two turbines at 110m (360ft) tall are to be built at Fullabrook in North Devon by Devon Wind Power.

Galsworthy Farm at Stibb Cross will house a further four 100m high turbines.

And three are planned for Crimp near the North Devon/Cornwall border.

All three proposals sparked fierce opposition from protesters, and members of MAT — Morwenstow Against Turbines — are continuing their fight after developers applied to build higher structures than approved by the planning inspector at Crimp.

In March, the inspector rejected local opposition and granted on appeal permission to build three turbines. These were to be a maximum tower height of 50m with blades of 31m. He also laid down specific rating levels for noise.

West Coast Energy has applied to North Cornwall District Council seeking modifications to a previous condition to get permission to make the towers either 60m or 56m high.

John Moxey, chairman of MAT, said: "It was bad enough when the inspector overruled the views of the parish council, district council and county council and more than 800 letters of objection, but now it seems the developers aren't satisfied with that, they want even more – either that or they got their sums wrong."

MAT is preparing its challenge to the application by seeking legal advice as to whether an inspector's decision can be varied.

Mr Moxey said: "If this is approved then it creates a precedent for every developer who has been given permission to build a wind farm, to come back later and say he wants bigger and more turbines despite any conditions that may have been imposed."

West Coast Energy planning director Stephen Salt said the applications for modifications were due to the fact that since the original plans had been formulated in 2004 turbine technology had changed.

"It is to give us flexibility in turbine choice.

"Since we made the application four years ago turbine technology has changed and the number of turbines in the market place has changed," he said.

Mr Salt said the application for a modification to a 56 metre hub would increase the hub height, but not the size of the blades. However, the other application for a 60 metre hub height would increase the turbine's height by 10 metres, but that turbine would have smaller blades.

He said he was hoping for a decision in the New Year and hoped to start the build in the summer.