New mast bid keeps wind farm row rumbling on

Turbines like this one on the other side of Lutterworth between Gilmorton and Dunton Bassett could still eventually be built near Churchover. 13.011.050.lutt.jg2

ANTI wind farm protesters have cried foul over developer RES' application to keep an 80metre wind monitoring mast on land near Churchover for another two years.

The renewable energy company applied to keep its three-year-old mast at Cesterover Farm on Lutterworth Road 'to collect more wind speed data for a further 24 months'. The current permission runs out in November.

It said continuing to collect data would give it the most accurate information when it chooses the type of turbine for its plans.

But pressure group Against Subsidised Windfarms Around Rugby (ASWAR) accused it of trying to generate data that would be favourable to its new plans for four turbines at the site.

Coordinator Lorne Smith told us: “We can see no justification for a further two years.

“Is it that the data collected so far would not support a wind farm application so the developers think if they wait a little longer they will get better results?”

“If the location is not windy enough then the developers should accept that they have the wrong place – from an energy point of view as well as the land use planning objections the borough council raised to the previous application – and should stop repeatedly threatening our small community.”

In 2011, the council rejected previous owner SSE's application to for nine turbines on grounds it would damage the surrounding environment.

RES is working on revised plans for four generating electricity to power 6,400 houses.

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