The controversial plans for eleven wind turbines — that would be sited on farmland between Week St Mary, Jacobstow, Warbstow, North Petherwin and Whitstone — will be heard by a planning inspector at a planning inquiry at Launceston Town Hall next month.
Good Energy, the Wiltshire-based renewable energy company behind ‘The Big Field Wind Farm’, last week unveiled new proposals ahead of the planning inquiry — meaning it could be funded solely by income from the electricity it generates.
Good Energy said its revised design follows a review of the proposals it first put before planners in 2014.
The company said the revised design could boost its energy output by up to 50% without increasing the maximum height of the turbines.
As a result, the company said the eleven-turbine wind farm could generate enough power for more than 22,000 homes and pay back the costs of development and construction without the need for subsidy.
Good Energy’s original proposal for the Big Field Wind Farm was for eleven turbines with a maximum tip height of 125-metres and total installed capacity of between 22 and 27.5MW.
The new design features the same number of turbines with the same maximum tip height but longer blades and a lower hub height, potentially increasing the total installed capacity of the wind farm to 38.5MW, according to Good Energy.
In 2015, the Government announced an end to subsidies for onshore wind farms in Britain. Energy Secretary Amber Rudd said new onshore wind farms could still be built in the UK, but only on a zero-subsidy basis.
The Government also introduced new planning rules to ensure wind turbine proposals would only get the go-ahead if they had the clear backing of the local community.
Good Energy said it also plans to open up the project to investment from local people, making it potentially the largest community-owned wind farm in England. Its proposals would enable the wind farm to become majority-owned by a range of local investors. These could include local residents, community groups and other local organisations.
James Ryle, communities manager at Good Energy, told the Post: “It’s still the same application; we have submitted what they call supplementary environmental information.
“We have just taken the opportunity in light of Government announcements around subsidies to look again at the design of the project. We think it is a very positive response.”
Mr Ryle said the environmental information ‘is open for consultation’, and that details had been sent to local parish councils, and notification letters to the nearest 30 or so local residents. It has also been made available in Launceston Library and at the council offices in Truro.
Ryle added: “We know there is quite obviously still some local opposition and that hasn’t gone away.
“As far as we are aware, we feel that we will be able to demonstrate to the inquiry the project does have strong local support.”
Opposition to the project includes Communities Against Rural Exploitation (CARE). Committee member Jeremy Ward said: “The position with The Big Field Wind Farm is that the planning inquiry to consider Good Energy’s appeal against Cornwall Council’s refusal of the Big Field application is set for April 26. CARE has registered as a Rule 6 Party, jointly with Boyton, Jacobstow, Marhamchurch, North Tamerton, Week St Mary and Whitstone Parish Councils, and is preparing with its legal team to assist Cornwall Council defending the refusal.
“It is hard to see how making the blades even bigger equates to addressing local community concerns. We are greatly looking forward to presenting our case at the appeal.”
Good Energy’s original proposal for the Big Field Wind Farm was refused planning permission by Cornwall Council in October 2014.
Mr Ryle said he hopes a decision will be made in the autumn, as to whether the project can go ahead, once the inspector’s report is sent to the secretary of state.