More than 65 people attended a public meeting about plans for a windfarm in Pica. Wind Prospect Limited wants to erect five 81-metre turbines on land at Fairfield Farm. Villagers from Pica and Distington oppose the windfarm because of noise and the effect on the landscape.

Aberavon Am Brian Gibbons has joined the chorus of disapproval against plans to bring the UK’s tallest wind turbines to the Afan Valley. Gamesa Energy UK wants to put 14 turbines there. With a 120-metre tower and a 64-metre blade, the structures would stand well over four times the height of Swansea’s big wheel. The planned development consists of four turbines in Glyncorrwg and a further 10 on the Gelli mountain near Croeserw. Dr Gibbons joins opponents including Aberavon MP Hywel Francis who has already spoken out against the proposals.

He said: "There is no change to the day to day navigation rights at the site. "In releasing this public notice we are fulfilling a legal requirement placed on us by the CrownEstate. "The notice means that boats cannot legally sail into the turbines themselves, which is something most try to avoid anyway for obvious safety reasons. "Before the site was there ships could pass freely through those waters. Now they will be required to stay away from the coordinates occupied by the turbines." Any objectors have around five weeks to voice their concerns. Dave Dobson, chief fishery officer for theCumbria Sea Fisheries Committee, said: "To restrict navigation to fishing vessels within the site would be a total disaster for the trade in the area if the plans are approved."

PLANS to build one of the world’s biggest windfarms across vast swathes of Lewis have been dealt a devastating blow from a government agency. Officials at Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) have condemned the controversial scheme and claim aspects of the developer’s approach are ’seriously flawed’. The board of the quango will meet tomorrow to finalise its representations to the government over the massive scheme. In a damning report, SNH officers deride Lewis Windpower’s (LWP) claims that building 181 giant turbines, 50 miles of roads and pylons, substations and quarries across the environmentally protected moor would not seriously hit bird species, including golden eagles, or affect their peatland habitat. Officials recommend that objections are lodged against the scheme and condemn LWP’s assessments. LWP is also criticised for its ‘ seriously flawed’ interpretation of the Habitats Regulations, which legally govern developments that can harm wildlife and environmentally protected land.

Plans to build four of the biggest wind turbines in Britain near Watford village will be discussed by residents next month. The 164-metre giants proposed by energy firm Gamesa would stand alongside the M1 on land between Long Bucky and Watford. But the proposals have been met with derision by a parish councillor, who claims that the turbines will pose a number of safety hazards.

North Northumberland’s biggest proposed wind farm is to go to a public inquiry after being rejected by local planners. The 18-turbine scheme at Middlemoor, near North Charlton, had been recommended for approval by officers at Alnwick District Council. However, members of the council’s development control committee voted 14-3 to reject the application by npower renewables because of concerns about its visual impact. A final ruling will still be made by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) but a public inquiry will have to be staged first to give developers and objectors a chance to put their cases before a planning inspector.

Proposals for four wind turbines near a Derbyshire reservoir have been met with a mixed response from local residents. Some people have said the 335ft (102m) turbines developers want to build near Carsington Reservoir are too tall but the landowner supports the scheme. West Coast Energy’s plans for the turbines must first win approval from Derbyshire Dales District Council.

The long-running battle between country folk and government over windfarms took a new twist today as a war broke out between the Scottish Executive and a conservation body which has called for more “green” electricity generation. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and its Scottish branch have in the past angered many rural communities for being outspoken supporters of wind farms - which mainly serve towns and cities but are always located in the countryside. But the Scottish RSPB today issued an outspoken protest about re-designed plans to build the UK’s largest windfarm on the Isle of Lewis, in the Western Isles, which it says is “one of Scotland’s most sensitive and important sites for wildlife.”

Richard Tamplin, the planning inspector who heard the appeal, ‘applauded’ the ‘dedication and persistence’ of Mr and Mrs Bradford and acknowledged that the urgency of meeting Devon’s renewable energy targets for 2010 weighed very heavily in favour of the proposal. However, he judged the benefits were even more heavily outweighed by the unacceptable harm to the character and appearance of the distinctive local landscape around the appeal site. The adverse impact on the viewpoints of Brent Tor, which he said was ‘such an unusual and special place’, and Pork Hill, ‘would damage the special qualities of the National Park’. The size and motion of the turbines would destroy the fragile quality of this ‘quiet, still landscape’ and would be ‘wholly inappropriate’ to the setting of Brent Tor and the scheduled barrow cemetery on the crest of the Beacon just below. The ‘alien feature’ would also cause ‘significant harm to the longer views’ from the National Park and the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. One of the statutory purposes of Dartmoor as a National Park would be compromised. He also considered there would be a significant adverse effect on the residential amenity of people living up to two kilometres from the site.

Two government bodies are facing a stream of criticism over proposals to control the connection of offshore windfarms to the National Grid, The Times has learnt. Ofgem, the energy regulator, and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) have been accused of putting forward plans that could lead to “stagnation” in the development of offshore renewable energy projects and could ultimately result in insufficient capacity to transmit electricity generated offshore back to the mainland. The comments came after Ofgem and the DTI put forward two possible plans as part of a joint consultation on how to link offshore wind farms to the electricity network, ahead of an expected surge in activity by developers.

The line would allow renewable energy from proposed wind and wave projects in the north to be transmitted to the major population centres of central Scotland.

The results of an independent study into wind farm development in the south and west of Berwick-upon-Tweed area of Northumberland have been published, with the findings stating that the area can potentially accommodate up to 30 to 40MW of wind energy development, which equates to approximately 10 to 15 turbines.

The big wind farm debate rumbled on this week as the RSPB again signalled its opposition to the nine-turbine plan for West Hinkley. The society stood against Your Energy’s proposals when they were first submitted in 2004. Giant turbines, RSPB representatives say, would have a detrimental effect on the birds living around the site.

Plans to build a massive 600MW wind farm in Shetland made a big step forward yesterday (Friday) when the local council decided to enter formally into a partnership with Scottish and Southern Energy to realise the project.

Scottish Natural Heritage yesterday confirmed its objection to a huge wind farm planned for Lewis. SNH board members reiterated their previous view that land covered by special protection area status might be harmed by the development. They also said there was insufficient information to determine the potential impact on birds. Last week, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) voted 18-8 in favour of the plan by Lewis Wind Power, subject to 50 conditions, including the removal of five of the proposed 181 turbines. Because of the scale of the 651-megawatt project, a final decision rests with the Scottish Executive. Meanwhile, SNH has withdrawn its objection to a proposed wind farm at Edinbane on Skye. It follows a public consultation by Highland Council on the latest submission from the developer AMEC, which included an appraisal of the likely effect on golden eagles.

Councillors in the south of Scotland have delivered a double blow to wind farm proposals totalling 71 turbines. Dumfries and Galloway Council has voted to lodge its opposition to plans for a wind farm in the Glenkens. While Scottish Borders Council went against officer recommendations and decided to object to 48 turbines in the Lammermuir Hills at Fallago Rig. Both proposals are likely to go to public inquiry given the level of opposition and the council decisions.

The submission of a revised application for a windfarm near Stonehaven has failed to change the opinion of Netherley locals, who opposed the first set of plans in 2001. Renewable Energy Systems (RES) saw their original bid to build 10 turbines at Meikle Carewe thrown out by the Kincardine and Mearns Area Committee in December 2001. Reasons for rejection included the effect on local residents, problems with television reception and the possible impact on flights to Aberdeen airport. The company has now resubmitted plans for a windfarm there with 12 smaller turbines covering a smaller area. They say they have resolved the issues that surrounded their previous application, particularly with regard to problems of TV reception.

Residents have just over two weeks left to have their say on whether a controversial wind farm in Somerset should be given the go-ahead. The company behind the plans, Ecotricity, appealed against a decision by Sedgemoor District Council to reject its plans to build five wind turbines at the Inner Farm site near Brent Knoll and Burnham. Members of the public have until January 10 to write to the planning inspector in Bristol to object or support the appeal. The plans were rejected unanimously at a meeting in August.

There was speculation last night over who will make the final decision on a major Northumberland wind farm. The proposal from Amec for the 20-turbine Ray wind farm will be debated tonight by Tynedale councillors. The 2,600-hectare site is between the villages of Ridsdale and East Woodburn, Knowesgate, Kirkwhelpington and Great Bavington. Each of the 125m turbines has a generating capacity of three megawatts, and so the 20 add up to 60MW. This takes it over the 50MW mark where applications go to the Department of Trade and Industry for a decision. But councillors will be recommended to make no objection - subject to the removal of four turbines next to the sensitive landscape of Great Wanney Crag.

Campaigners fighting against plans to build a wind farm in Midlothian have contacted residents to urge them to oppose the scheme. Householders near the Auchencorth Moss site on the outskirts of Penicuik fear the turbines will create unacceptable noise and vibration levels, and blight views in the area. Plans have been formally submitted to Midlothian Council by E.ON UK, but the authority is waiting on a general report on the suitability of the area for wind turbines before taking a decision. The Penicuik Environmental Protection Association (PEPA) has now written to members, reminding them that objections can still be sent to the council. Last year, 718 people wrote to the local authority in just two weeks after E.ON UK submitted its planning application. The proposals would see 18 wind turbines with a maximum height of 102 metres erected.