Building any more turbines on the hilltops around Todmorden would blight the countryside and harm leisure opportunities, according to landscape consultants. Coronation Power wants to put five turbines on Todmorden Moor and others on nearby hilltops in the area around Walsden, Rochdale and Rossendale, which they say will help generate clean and sustainable energy, and tackle the harmful effects of climate change. But Julie Martin Associates, recruited by councils affected by the proposed developments, has recommended the three plans are rejected because of their visual impact, especially those at Crook Hill, near Walsden. "The windfarm would cause major harm to the key characteristics and integrity of this sensitive and highly valued landscape because it would be out of scale, would tend to dominate key views and important skylines and would adversely affect the area's openness, wildness and tranquillity," they state.

A wind farm proposed for a property near Kalbarri, in Western Australia's mid west, will moved to a new site to protect a rare species of orchid. Verve Energy says it has moved the location of two wind turbines 150 metres away on to cleared land where the orchid does not grow.

Building a windfarm near Littleborough would blight the landscape and harm leisure opportunities. That is the verdict of an independent report commissioned by Rochdale, Calderdale, Lancashire and Rossendale councils to look at Coronation Power's proposals to build 12 125m-high turbines at Crook Hill. Authors North Yorkshire-based Julie Martin Associates examined the landscape and visual consequences of the scheme. They recommend the plans are rejected.

SEI, the school for renewable energy and sustainable housing technology, won approval June 4 from the Board of County Commissioners for its bid to erect a 106-foot-high tower on its year-old Paonia campus. The tower will support an electricity generating turbine with blades spanning 12 feet to be used for class instruction and to produce power for the school's use. The BoCC, sitting with commission chair Jan McCracken absent, voted 2-0 in favor of the schools proposal after hearing comments from neighbors both in support and opposition of the plan.

Campaigners against a proposed windfarm set out to prove that their concerns were not hot air at the weekend by launching a helium-filled "blimp" into the south Norfolk skies. Members of Stop Hempnall's Onshore Wind Turbines (SHOWT) flew the 20ft long airship shaped balloon to highlight the scale of the proposed seven turbine site, north east of the village. The demonstration comes as Diss-based developer Enertrag UK aims to submit plans in the autumn for the windfarm in the Tas Valley, which will stand 130ft tall.

FREDERICKSBURG - Residents of this scenic Hill Country community are split over a California company's interest in building a field of wind turbines north of town to generate electricity.

Plans for a series of wind farms which would result in 26 giant turbines being erected in north Northumberland should be scaled down, according to a long-awaited report by independent consultants. Protest groups have been set up to oppose the controversial bids for three separate wind farms south and west of Berwick at Moorsyde, Barmoor and Toft Hill - amid claims they will ruin the landscape and harm the important local tourism industry.

If you go up to the Rattlesnake Roundup this weekend in Noxen, take a look beyond the snakes. Look past the fenced snake pen, the crowd of people and the bucolic small town. Focus on the mountains that guard over Noxen, for they are about to change. BP Alternative Energy is eyeing the mountains as the future sight of a wind turbine facility. The corporate energy giant believes the top of the ridge may be a suitable location for 30 to 70 turbines. Township residents beg to differ, and I can understand why.

The Central Otago District Council has strengthened its opposition to the proposed Project Hayes wind farm on the Lammermoor Range, releasing its final report yesterday asking for the application to be refused. CODC planning consultant David Whitney said his initial March 2007 report recommending that consent for the wind farm be declined had been finely balanced. However, after considering submissions and evidence presented during the five-week hearing, he was ‘‘more strongly of the view that consent should be refused.'' This was because of the adverse landscape, visual and heritage effects the proposal would have. Those adverse effects would outweigh any positive effects from generating renewable energy, and the proposal was against the objectives and policies of the Otago Regional Council statement, the amended proposed CODC plan, the Dunedin City Council plan, and the Resource Management Act.

Proposed wind farms at Yendon and Elaine would dominate the landscape and reduce property values, a community group has claimed. Spokesman for the Lal Lal and Landscape Elaine Action Group John McMahon expressed concern at the size of both the proposed wind farms and turbines. "It is a very, very large project, (with) up to 79 turbines. It's very big, and these turbines are enormous."

Bedford Borough Council rejected the scheme saying the scale of the turbines would impact on nearby homes, historic park land and an ancient monument.

A secluded area, once frequented by Winston Churchill and which provided inspiration for novelists such as Anthony Trollope and Iris Murdoch, is set to take centre stage at the public inquiry into controversial proposals for a line of giant pylons through the Highlands. As the Inverness local session of the Beauly to Denny power line inquiry enters into its third week, the inquiry reporters are due to hear evidence from community representatives in Strathglass and Glen Urquhart plus Alex Grigg, joint owner of the historic Hilton Estate at the head of Strathglass. Over the years Hilton has been host to many distinguished visitors including prime ministers William Gladstone and later Winston Churchill, who learned to drive there.

Town Hall planning officers recommend councillors refuse nine-turbine bid for Podington. Plans to erect a wind farm featuring nine 125-metre turbines look set to go on hold after planning officers recommended refusing the project. The proposed wind farm at Airfield Farm, Podington, will be reviewed at a borough council planning meeting on Monday, but seems unlikely to get the go-ahead after being deemed "conspicuous and out of place in the rural landscape".

Councillors on Whitworth Town Council have unanimously said no to the proposed wind farm at Reaps Moss, Bacup. Although the final decision will rest with Rossendale Council, Whitworth, as a consultee, will recommend that the wind farm be turned down.

A recent report published by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment has said large wind farms such as proposed here are not the way forward for New Zealand, the significant adverse impacts are avoidable by harnessing wind power using smaller clusters of small turbines servicing remote towns, and this will be better for the country. Unfortunately this report was published just after our hearing was completed.

Three environmental organizations agreed to back the proposed Kibby Mountain wind-power project in Franklin County after the developer agreed to pay $500,000 to protect several high-elevation acres in Oxford County. According to a late Tuesday afternoon report, the Appalachian Mountain Club, Maine Audubon and Natural Resources Council of Maine negotiated the deal with TransCanada Maine Wind Development Inc.

A wind farm proposed to be built on the outskirts of Balsham has been refused planning permission by South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC). The council's planning committee met yesterday (Wednesday) morning to determine the outcome of the application for 13 turbines that make up Wadlow Wind Farm, to be built to the northwest of West Wratting and Balsham. Cllr Philippa Corney, planning committee chairman, said: "SCDC is fully supportive of renewable energy initiatives in South Cambridgeshire. "However, the scale of this application was not appropriate for this particular location.

Walkers opposed to a wind farm development in the Ochil Hills are set to take part in a protest hike. The campaigners are angry at plans to site a 13-turbine wind farm on Burnfoot Hill, near Tillicoultry. Clackmannanshire Council backed the project put forward by Edinburgh company Wind Prospect Developments in March. The council said the 102m high (334ft) turbines would not be visible from most surrounding towns.

In a report to councillors, David Rush, development control quality manager, said the decision came down to a balance between support for renewable energy and the harm a wind farm would do to the landscape. He said: "I do not consider the economic, climatic or ecological benefits accruing from the scheme outweigh the substantial harm caused by the scale of this proposal."

The proposed Gathercauld windfarm has been reduced in size from 13 turbines to five. Developer EnergieKontor made the announcement at its exhibition about the project at Craigrothie Hall last Thursday. Project manager Mick McLoughlin said the change came after consultation about the impact on the area's landscape, heritage and possible effects on radar at R.A.F. Leuchars.