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Thursday, August 28, 2008, 09:00
The inaugural meeting of the Fullabrook Windfarm Community Interest Company (CIC), which has been set up to manage the fund, will take place in October. Local people will run the CIC and decide how the money is spent.
Devon Wind Power (DWP), the business behind the wind farm, agreed that £1 million will be transferred to the CIC once the turbines start producing electricity, probably in summer 2010. There will then be 24 annual payments of £100,000.
The cash has not been ring-fenced, but the money could pay for tree planting or renewable energy technology, for example.
The wind farm plan was approved by the Government after a public inquiry in Barnstaple in 2006; North Devon Council unsuccessfully fought that decision at the High Court.
There was a vocal campaign against the farm, backed by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and local councillors. The Campaign Against Wind Turbines (CAWT) said the windfarm would destroy the local countryside. CAWT supporter Christine Lovelock said local people will be shocked when they see the size of the 22 turbines, which are each 110m (360ft) tall. She said people across North Devon will be affected.
But North Devon Green Party activist Ricky Knight, who supported the plan, said this week: "Now is the time to build bridges. The area all around Fullabrook will benefit enormously from this financial input."
According to DWP, the turbines will produce more than 40% of Devon's renewable energy target (151 megawatts) by 2010. A spokesman said the firm had committed to set up the CIC in 2004 — before its planning application.
DWP director Keith Pyne said: "We have already established the Fullabrook CIC and set out draft rules about how we believe the monies should be spent within the community, where and on what type of project.
"I very much hope that everyone with an interest in encouraging sustainable local community projects in this part of North Devon will come along to the meeting."
North Devon Council is evaluating three planning applications for wind farms: for nine turbines in Batsworthy Cross; two turbines in Cross Moor; and nine at Three Moors.
● All residents within three miles of the planned wind farm are invited to the meeting at 7pm on Thursday, October 9, at Braunton Village Hall.
The skyline around Halsinger Down and Fullabrook
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