Shropshire parish council opposes wind turbine plan

Chetton Parish Council objected to the 250 foot high turbine at Criddon Hall Farm near Upton Cressett.

Sharenergy, the group behind the scheme, has submitted a new application for one turbine instead of two.

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.

The original plans had been recommended for refusal by county planners but were withdrawn before they even got to be considered by Shropshire Council's south planning committee last summer.

Parish clerk Elieen Reynolds said: "The parish council opposed the plans but it was not unanimous.

"This application was a rerun of the previous application, so all the comments remained the same as before.

"The only difference was there would be one turbine instead of two, so the decision really took place when the first application was put in.

"Councillors did have the chance to look at the new plans before discussing it on Monday evening but the fact it was reduced from two to one really didn't seem to make much difference."

Tim Morris, of Stop Bridgnorth Wind Farm action group, which is against the plans, said the meeting was attended by around 70 members of the community.

He said: "The turn out to the parish council meeting showed the strength of feeling within the community against this turbine scheme.

"This revised application continues to be totally inappropriate in the area especially in the prominent position proposed."

William Cash, chair of Stop Bridgnorth Wind Farm campaign, also arranged an emergency meeting at his home in Upton Cressett hall last week after the plans had been resubmitted.

He said simply having one turbine instead of two changed nothing about the reasons the last application was recommended for refusal.

Jon Halle, from Sharenergy, said Crida Community Wind was very different from a developer-led project where turbines were installed for profit.

"It will be a community owned turbine so not only will members have a say in the running of the project, but the funds earned will be kept within the community," he said.

"Similar community projects are popping up around the UK, such as Dingwall wind, which we helped get running last year."

The same application will be discussed by Morville Parish Council in the village hall on Monday (MAR 30).