New battle over Shropshire wind turbine bid
An emergency meeting is being held by anti-windfarm campaigners after it was revealed plans for a 77-metre turbine near Bridgnorth have been resubmitted.
Objectors thought they had seen the back of a proposal for turbines at Criddon Hall Farm, near Upton Cressett.
The plan had been recommended for refusal by county planners and was withdrawn before it even got to be considered by Shropshire Council's south planning committee last summer.
But now Sharenergy, the group behind the scheme, has submitted another application for the same site, but this time cut down to one turbine.
The scheme has been developed with Sustainable Bridgnorth, a local voluntary environmental organisation, and the group says the turbine will be owned and operated by a not-for-profit Community Benefit Society made up of local people.
But William Cash, chair of Stop Bridgnorth Wind Farm campaign, said simply having one turbine instead of two changed nothing about the reasons the last application was recommended for refusal. He was holding an emergency meeting to discuss the plans at Upton Cressett Hall at 6pm tonight.
He said the turbine would impact on the historical setting of the landscape, which includes his own home, the Garde I listed Upton Cressett Hall, as well the 12th century Church of St Michael and both medieval and Roman monuments. He said: "Simply reducing the turbines to one makes no difference, it will still be a major industrial presence."
Those behind the scheme maintain it does have local backing. Suzanne Millington, of Criddon Hall Farm, said she had "received great support from many long standing local residents". She said: "I feel a few strategically placed wind turbines would not only produce electricity but would demonstrate our commitment to the environmental energy demands of our country as a whole."
