Villagers angered by proposals to build wind turbines the size of the London Eye near Chedburgh have packed a public meeting. More than 60 protesters filled Hawkedon Village Hall on Friday to rally support for the campaign against the turbines, headed by Residents Against Chedburgh Turbines (RACT). Jo Pugh, of The Street, Shimpling, said: "These turbines would have a devastating effect on the area and would just destroy the landscape. "It is a ridiculous waste of money. These turbines are also badly inefficient because when the wind doesn't blow, they have to be powered by electricity."

Bosses at the firm which wanted to bring nine giant wind farm turbines to Poddington have spoken of their disappointment after planning permission was refused. Nuon Renewables project manager Piers Guy admitted he was "gutted" by Bedford Borough Council's decision.

Suspicions that an £8million five-turbine wind farm on Nigg Hill could be the precursor to a much larger development are misplaced, it was claimed yesterday. West Coast Energy project manager Fraser McKenzie, acting on behalf of renewables specialist Faulk Energy, which is behind the latest Nigg scheme, was responding to concerns locally that it is merely a forerunner of larger applications that would follow approval.

A public meeting has been called to discuss plans to house a second wind farm on the outskirts of a North Devon village.British wind energy company Coronation Power is looking to site up to four turbines at Wheelers Cross, just over a mile east of Bradworthy, capable of generating power for thousands of homes. The turbines, if approved, could impact on the villages of Bradworthy, Sutcombe and Putford.

Plans for a towering wind turbine at Methil docks have generated concerns among sections of the community. The turbine, which will measure two thirds of the height of the chimney at the nearby power station, is incorporated in proposals for a £3 million renewable energy development for the area.

Plans for a seven-turbine windfarm near Workington have been approved by Allerdale council. Winscales Moor Windfarm Ltd was granted permission to build the 81-metre high turbines at Benedict Plantation, Winscales, at a meeting on Tuesday. There are already 11 turbines next to the proposed location.

Two wind-monitoring masts on the site of proposed edge-of-Exmoor wind farms have been met with no objection from Exmoor National Park Authority (ENPA).But in giving the masts the green light, planners warned that wind farms would still raise strong objections. North Devon District Council has consulted with the planning authority on the erection of two temporary 60m masts - one at Luckett Moor, where a proposal has been made for five wind turbines and one at Western Bullaford Moor where six turbines have been proposed. The monitoring masts, or anemometers, would be put in place for two years, to measure wind speeds and help determine whether the sites would be viable for wind farms.

Controversial plans for a windfarm at Tween Bridges, near Thorne, were discussed at a meeting in Doncaster last week. The discussion, organised by Doncaster Council Watch at Doncaster Central Library, was led by Tony McCready, who focused on issues surrounding the proposed wind farm.

Plans to erect nine 125-metre high turbines in the fields of rural Bedfordshire were thrown out by the Town Hall on Monday night. Bedford Borough Council's planning committee rejected the planning application for a wind farm at Airfield Farm, Podington. And the decision was loudly applauded by the audience in a packed Harpur Suite, many of whom held banners opposing the application.

Concerned residents in Methil have called for a meeting with local councillors over plans to erect a wind turbine by the site of the new hydrogen plant. Householders were visited by a hydrogen office researcher who revealed a turbine, roughly two thirds the size of the chimney at the nearby power station, could be built at the proposed site of the plant. This, they say, will have a detrimental affect on the value of their property as well as causing a serious level of noise pollution, a documented hazard of windturbines in urban settings.

A controversial application for a 14 turbine windfarm in a scenic area of Argyll frequented by young golden eagles will be debated by planners this summer. A proposal by npower renewables to erect a windfarm at Allt Dearg, on moorland south of Lochgilphead overlooking Loch Fyne, was lodged with Argyll and Bute Council a year ago. A host of objections on various grounds came in, including visual impact and the potential adverse impact of the windfarm on golden eagles and other local rare bird species.

People power is being called upon to help fight plans for wind farms in Carmarthenshire. Protesters - who are taking their fight to court to overturn a decision to build 10 turbines near Pencader- are trying to rally support from hundreds of residents. A group of around 50 residents have formed the Blaengwen Objectors Group but they fear local apathy and lack of knowledge about the applications means fighting development is proving difficult.

County planners have delayed a decision on a controversial wind farm at an Amman Valley beauty spot.

PEOPLE living near the site of a contentious wind-farm proposal in Caithness are to be given a chance to have their say on the development. The postal ballot is being held to enable Watten Community Council to confirm its stance on the £83 million venture to the east of Spittal Hill. The Scottish Executive will have the final say on whether to give planning approval to the 30-turbine scheme. But the community council is being consulted and it will be viewed as a sounding board of local opinion on the development.

Proposals for a new Norfolk windfarm have emerged, increasing the potential number of turbines in the Swaffham area to more than 20. Plans by London-based energy company Hamex to build four 125m wind turbines on land at Round Covert between Swaffham and South Acre have reignited concerns about over-development. There are 10 wind turbines in the Swaffham area - with another six proposed between Swaffham and Sporle, two planned at North Pickenham and now four 3MW turbines proposed near South Acre. The Stop Turbines Action Group (Stag) has said that Breckland Council must act now to slap tighter guidelines on new windfarm development to prevent the area from being overrun with turbines.

An action group formed to fight controversial plans for 26 giant wind turbines in Congham is stepping up its campaign to have the scheme scrapped. The group - Against Congham Turbines (ACT) - was formed following a packed public meeting in March when more than 250 residents from surrounding villages attended to discuss the proposal. ACT has produced and delivered 4,000 leaflets about the scheme to homes in eight villages including Pott Row, Gayton, Hillington, Castle Rising and Massingham. And residents will be given the opportunity to air their views at a public meeting to be held at Grimston church, from 7.30pm on Thursday, July 5.

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

Renewable Energy Holdings PLC said it has secured a period of exclusivity from Mynnydd y Gwynt, the vendors of a proposed wind farm site in Llangurig, Wales to assess the viability of a wind farm development on the site. The company said the period of exclusivity runs up to August 31, until when it will have access to data and work performed to date by Mynnydd y Gwynt.

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.

An area that has become a hot spot for wind farm developers will have a fresh application from an energy company. A public inquiry is due to be held into three proposed wind farms in the North Tyne area of Tynedale, and now Cornwall based Nuon UK Ltd has submitted a planning application to install a temporary meteorological mast. The mast, 60 metres high and in place for 30 months, would be put up north of Tone Hall, at Birtley, in the North Tyne. It would act as a weather station collecting data to establish if the location is suitable for a renewable energy development.