Windfarm proposed in nearby green belt area

Those attending last night's Parish Council meeting were given an alarming vision of the future by representatives of the Knighton/Dorrington Windfarm Action Group.

It appears that a planning application has been put to North Shropshire District Council for a 60 metre high turbine mast in a greenfield site between Dorrington, Knighton and Bearstone and close to Woore, Norton in Hales and Loggerheads. And this is only the start of it. The idea behind this first experimental mast is to see if the area would lend itself to development as a windfarm producing "green" electricity in line with Government plans for renewable energy. And if successful then 9 (some say possibly up to 15) one hundred metre high turbines will be built on the site which covers an area of roughly 1 mile by 1.5 miles. To give you an idea of how high 100 metres is think of a 35 storey office block or the London Eye or St Paul's Cathedral.

Protesters argued that if these plans were to go ahead the whole character of the area would be damaged with an irreversible impact on landscape, footpaths and bridleways, wildlife and communities alike. The giant turbines would greatly affect people's quality of life, with noise pollution disrupting sleep patterns, and the visual pollution would be visible over the 3 counties of Shropshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire. They also pointed out that property prices in areas that have been developed in this way have dropped by up to 30%. And finally ... they maintained that it was questionable whether windfarms are an efficient way of producing electricity anyway. See Country Guardian (The website link that was here no longer works)

The Action Group urged people to write to the Chief Planning Officers of all 3 districts to express their concern about the proposal and to do this by 16th October at the latest and quoting the case number: N/06/1044/WO/212. Contact details for the district councils are as follows:

North Shropshire District Council, Edinburgh House, New St, WEM, Shropshire SY4 5DB (tel 01939 232771) email: reception@noprthshropshiredc.gov.uk">reception@noprthshropshiredc.gov.uk

Borough of Crewe & Nantwich, Municipal Buildings, Earle Street, Crewe, Cheshire CW1 2BT (tel: 01270 53777) email: info@crewe-nantwich.gov">info@crewe-nantwich.gov,uk

Newcastle Borough Council, Civic Offices, Merial St, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs ST5 2AG (tel: 01782 717717) email: guy.benson@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk">guy.benson@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk.

And for further information about the Knighton/Dorrington Windfarm Action Group email: dorringtonwindfarm@hotmail.co.uk">dorringtonwindfarm@hotmail.co.uk or phone: 07812 577370.

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