Turbine 'blitz' coming to rural villages?

PLANS for eight more wind turbines along the coastal countryside have been revealed – to the "utter disbelief" of campaigners.

Renewable giant Energiekontor Ltd, are in the early stages of applying for permission to build up to eight turbines measuring 115 metres high to land north of Brickyard Farm, Fulstow.

If approved, the windfarm would be between two other turbine applications – the four 125-metre-high at Damswell Farm, Ludborough and the rejected three 110-metre-high turbines at Louth Canal, which is currently at appeal.

It brings the current total of potential wind turbines between Humberston and Marshchapel to 41 and 83 across East Lindsey – which campaigners describe as an unprecedented amount.

Chairman and founder of the Marsh Action Windfarm Group, Melvin Grosvenor, has urged residents to attend a meeting on Saturday, August 10, from 10am at Tetney Village Hall to plan their attack against all applications.

He said: "This is getting beyond an absolute joke. This is an unprecedented amount. I have never seen anything like this before. This is beyond an invasion, it is more like a blitz. If these get the go-ahead, people living in these villages will not want to live there anymore. It is going to have a colossal impact on the area. That is no exaggeration."

It comes as the Department for Communities and Local Government published new guidance for local authorities on windfarm applications – branded a "huge disappointment" by East Lindsey District Councillor Craig Leyland.

It appears at odds with assurance greater powers would be given to local communities to block unwanted wind farms.

Instead, it warns councils not to create "inflexible" turbine-free zones and the distance of a wind farm from housing does not necessarily make the project unacceptable.

Mr Leyland, portfolio holder for economic development, said: "This latest guidance from the Government is a huge disappointment.

"We always knew the devil would be in the detail but this guidance flies in the face of 'localism' and doesn't help local people one bit."

"It's a sham that tries to give the illusion of local power in decision making while giving no such powers at all."

Victoria Allen, project manager at Energiekontor, said: "We are aware of other projects in the area and we will include this in our application."