Wind Farm plans Near Thornbury

Plans to build a wind farm near Thornbury which would be located on land near Hill Lane, just one kilometre from Oldbury Naite, would have four 127-metre high turbines.

A website has been set up which includes the new initial site layout design and a map showing the location, results of the survey work carried out so far and why Wind Prospect has selected this site. The website address for this project is http://www.stoneyardlanewindfarm.co.uk/

The plans have upset many local residents and the company behind the plans has released a statement:-

Further details about a proposed wind farm near Oldbury-on-Severn have been released by Bristol-based developers Wind Prospect Developments Ltd.

The Stoneyard Lane proposal, which was announced in March, was for up to seven turbines and following detailed studies it has now been confirmed that the planning application will be for no more than four turbines.

Sophie Nioche, development manager at Wind Prospect, said: “When planning a wind farm, we always start with an area of land and look at the maximum number of turbines that would go on that land.

“We then review the constraints of the site and that often means we reduce the number of turbines as we have to consider factors like distance of the turbines from hedgerows and footpaths.”

Wind Prospect presented its plans to both Oldbury Parish Council and Rockhampton Parish Council this week. An event is taking place in the summer at which plans will be presented to the local community.

The proposed wind farm would be situated on farmland around 2.5 kilometres east of Oldbury Power Station. The turbines would be up to 127 metres high, from ground level to the tip of the blade.

According to the new initial site layout design, the nearest home will be at least 700 metres from the turbines.

A website has been set up which includes the new initial site layout design and a map showing the location, results of the survey work carried out so far and why Wind Prospect has selected this site. www.stoneyardlanewindfarm.co.uk

Wind Prospect is in the process of working up a planning application for submission before the end of the year. It has completed most of the studies, such as ecology and access, and is preparing the environmental statement to be submitted with the application.

This week, the company requested a scoping opinion from South Gloucestershire Council which outlines the different information that the statutory consultees, such as Natural England, the Environment Agency and English Heritage, would like to see addressed in the environmental statement.

Sophie Nioche said: “Keeping the community informed at each step of the way is important to us and we hope the website is proving to be a useful and informative tool for people.  We will also be sending out a newsletter in the next couple of months.

“The event in the summer will give the community another chance to ask us questions about the development and we will ensure details are well publicised beforehand.

“We are really pleased with the local response we have received so far to this wind farm. Many people have told me that they are in favour of it and would be pleased to see wind turbines in the area. People are also letting us know their views via the ‘have your say’ section on the website, and that is encouraging.”

Wind Prospect is an independent renewable energy company started in Bristol which has developed wind energy projects around the world, including building the UK’s second wind farm in 1992. The company has won planning consents for nearly 50 projects containing 700 turbines, and has a nine out of 10 planning success rate.