Last week, Galloway Forest Park became only the fourth Dark Sky Park in the world and the first outside of the United States after the International Dark Sky Association confirmed Galloway as one of the best places for stargazing in the world. ...But dark skies, or the increasing lack of them, was also the subject of concern in the Borders this week when it emerged that if plans for 12 massive wind turbines proposed for a site on Minchmoor near Walkerburn get the go-ahead, defence officials want red aviation lighting on top of the structures.

The Government says it wants to cut the red tape and expense involved in generating energy from wind, and insists the new rules will come with strict conditions about noise, size and appearance. But rural campaigners said the changes to the planning system could lead to a 'free-for-all' and warned that the countryside was in danger of being sacrificed in the battle against global warming.

Magnificent views enjoyed by visitors to an award-winning North East holiday complex would be ruined by plans to build four massive wind turbines nearby, it is claimed. Businessman Alun Moore has invested about £2m over the last 20 years in developing his Beacon Hill holiday centre, 15 self-catering cottages and a luxury spa on a hilltop north west of Morpeth. ...But now Mr Moore fears his business, which employs 14 people locally, will suffer badly if plans by Novera Energy to erect four 101m turbines at nearby Todd Hill, Pigdon, are given the go-ahead.

Proposals to build Europe's largest onshore windfarm in the Shetland Islands at a cost of £800 million could be scaled back, according to developer Viking Energy, writes Will Nichols. The limited company originally presented plans for the 150 turbine, 540MW project to the Shetland Islands council this summer. However, last week, a spokesman for Viking Energy told NewEnergyFocus.com that the company is to submit an addendum to its plans early in the new year in a response to concerns flagged up during consultation, including over bird life and landscape.

An application to increase the height of three proposed wind turbines at Flimby has been turned down by Allerdale council. Flimby Wind Energy Limited wanted to increase the height of the turbines from 335ft to 377ft and lengthen the blades. The plans had been recommended for approval by Allerdale planning officers, despite objections from the parish councils of Dearham, Broughton Moor and Seaton. Councillors this week refused the plans by nine votes to six.

Arbroath fishermen voiced their concerns with regard to proposals for the creation of a wind farm in the Bell Rock area off Arbroath when they met with Angus MP Mike Weir. They had expressed worries that the wind farm could interfere with their traditional fishing grounds. After the meeting Mr Weir said it was vital that the interests of fishermen be taken into account in planning offshore wind farms.

An East Yorkshire resident is calling for a change in the law so new wind turbines cannot be built near homes Currently there is no minimum separation distance between homes and the structures, but company director Larry Fleming, from Spaldington, near Goole, wants a 2km limit. Villagers are fighting proposals by two separate developers for 14 turbines standing 400ft tall, three times higher than Howden Minster.

Big name backing has come forward in opposition to two proposed wind farms at Spaldington who claim the turbines would be "visually horrific, inappropriate and ineffective". Throwing their weight behind the STOP (Spaldington Turbines Opposition Project) group is not only Howden and Haltemprice MP David Davies but MEP Godfrey Bloom and international best-selling author Frederick Forsyth. ...David Davis told the Courier this week: "Both of these proposed wind farms would seriously blight the lives of people who live nearby.

The MP for Mid Worcestershire has called for a ban on commercial wind turbines being constructed within a kilometre of people's homes. ...Speaking after visiting a public exhibition organised by Scottish Power Renewables at Norton and Lenchwick parish hall, the Conservative MP said: "These are effectively 40-storey high structures in open countryside - they must be a reasonable distance from homes.

A campaign group has said plans for eight turbines near a small village could lead to a "scar on the landscape." The comments were made by John Temple, co-ordinator of new pressure group Protect Winwick which has been set up by residents to oppose proposals from energy company E.on to put up eight 126-metre high turbines near to the small village.

Families fighting plans to erect four giant wind turbines in their rural Northumberland community have taken their protest campaign into the skies. They are flying a large orange blimp at a height of 101 metres above the proposed site of the wind farm near Morpeth in a bid to show local people and council planners the likely impact of the installation on the landscape and homes.

Residents of a medieval hamlet are hoping councillors will help them fight a controversial wind farm plan next week. On Wednesday Durham County Council cabinet members will be asked to designate Bolam as a Conservation Area. Their plan could see the council forced to go up against energy company nPower Renewables, who want to build six wind turbines just outside Bolam, near West Auckland.

Telecoms giant BT is considering plans to build one of the region's tallest wind farms in an environmentally "sensitive" coastal area of the Westcountry, critics claim. The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England has expressed its "concern" that the firm is looking to erect three 410ft (125m) tall turbines overlooking the Bristol Channel at Greater Shelfin Farm near Ilfracombe, North Devon.

The creation of the non-elected body, arguably the most powerful quango ever, comes as the Government insists that a greater take-up of renewable power is essential in the battle against climate change and improving energy security. Energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband has warned that communities in the Westcountry have "no option" but to support a massive expansion of onshore turbines.

Nature conservationists are expected to raise concerns over potential plans to place four wind turbines close to an internationally important bird reserve. ...Martin Kerby, RSPB planning officer for the North-east said: ... "When the planning application is submitted we will be looking very carefully at it. It depends on how many birds are passing through. "It's about 1km from Saltholme but of most concern is the North Tees mudflats."

Energy experts at Carter Jonas in Peterborough have welcomed the lifting of a policy restriction against wind farm development in and around Oundle and Thrapston and nearby rural locations. For some time now, the energy team specialists have been urging local authorities to accommodate national targets for renewable energy when it comes to local planning policies and to ensure that development is appropriate in terms of location and being sustainable.

BT has submitted a report to North Devon Council about plans to build three giant wind turbines at Greater Shelfin Farm near Mullacott. ...The proposal has already met strong opposition. Bill Wilson, owner of Mullacott Cross Caravan Park , said: "It would be a huge blot on the landscape blocking views that people come from the city to see.

Aberdeenshire councillors were cheered when they agreed to throw out plans for a windfarm on a scenically important hill between the Don and Dee valleys. The response came from campaigners opposed to a Welsh company's plans, attending a meeting at the Stewart's Hall in Huntly on Tuesday. Members of the Marr Area Committee accepted the view of their planners that the proposed wind turbines would have an unacceptable impact, on a sensitive site, close to the Cairngorms National Park.

Nearly 600 letters of objection have been sent to Aberdeenshire Council calling for the refusal of plans for seven wind turbines on the ridge of Pressendye hill, near Cushnie. Council planners have agreed with objectors and recommended the proposal for refusal over fears that the 410ft turbines would have "unacceptable adverse visual impacts" on the surrounding countryside.

The wind farm has faced opposition from environmental groups Plans for a massive Shetland Islands wind farm which campaigners believe will have a devastating effect on the environment could be blocked by a landmark report. A report by the Scottish Parliament last week warned of the "significant adverse" impact of another wind farm on Lewis in the Hebrides.