Protest puts the wind up turbines scheme (From Bournemouth Echo)

Protest puts the wind up turbines scheme

7:40pm Monday 3rd November 2008

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PROTESTERS descended on a public exhibition on Monday to vent their feelings over a proposed wind farm for Purbeck.

The demonstration was organised by Dorset Against Rural Turbines (Dart) at the Springfield Hotel in Wareham as Wimborne-based firm Infinergy put its plans for the Master’s Pit site at East Stoke on display.

There has been fervent opposition to the scheme, which Infinergy has reduced from six turbines to four after a consultation. It says it is now ready to resubmit the plans to Purbeck District Council.

Those against the proposals say it is the wrong place for a wind farm.

Terry Stewart, president of the Dorset Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: “These turbines will be 410ft (125m) high, taller than Salisbury Cathedral, and will totally dominate the Purbeck Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the World Heritage Coast.

“The wind in Dorset is intermittent, many days with no wind, so the turbines always have to have a fossil fuel or nuclear power station as a back-up.”

But not everyone is battling against the Alaska Wind Farm project. Janet Payne, from support group Yes to Wind, said: “Their only argument against it is it’s going to spoil the view; I think it’s complete ‘nimbyism’, it’s selfish to object to it.

“Climate change is the biggest thing that we’re facing at the moment and we’ve got to go with wind. It’s clean, it’s renewable, it’s free.

“It’s a quarry site, it’s a brownfield site and wind turbines are better than other possibilities it could be used for.”

The exhibition gave locals the chance to find out more about the project and view photo mock-ups of the turbines.

Infinergy says the four turbines would generate 9.2mw of electricity, about 11-13 per cent of Dorset’s target from renewable sources for 2010.

Project director Herb Lindlahr said that despite the reduction in the number of turbines, the project was still viable and would make a “valuable contribution” to Dorset’s renewable energy targets.

l More details can be found at alaskawindfarm.co.uk.

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