Campaigners seek height illustration

Campaigners fighting plans for a wind farm south of Newark are calling for a blimp to be flown to help people understand the impact it will have on the area.

Members of South Newark Oppose Wind turbines (SNOW) say a blimp flown at the height of the proposed 126.5metre-high turbines at Hawton is crucial in revealing the true magnitude of the structures.

The group represents residents in Hawton, Cotham and Thorpe.

The chairman of Cotham Parish Meeting, Mr John Elliott, said: “We think it is pivotal because we believe people can’t relate to height.

“If you tell people that the meteorological monitoring mast [already on the site] is 70metres high and a turbine is 126metres high, then that is going to be big, but they don’t realise how big.

“A blimp will show people across Newark and the surrounding area just what they are in for.”

Mr Elliott said the onus should be on Newark and Sherwood District Council to ensure everybody was aware of the full impact of the turbines by asking the developers, Bolsterstone Innovative Energy (Hawton) Ltd, to fly a blimp.

SNOW was set up to stop a potential glut of turbines in the south Newark area, where a number of wind energy developers are planning schemes.

The group is focussing its efforts on the three 126.5metre turbines planned by Bolsterstone on land off Cotham Road, Hawton.

The plans have already been submitted to the district council and are due to be discussed by its planning committee next month.

Bolsterstone has already said it has no plans to fly a blimp at the site because it would not be representative of the turbines.

The district council’s planning services manager, Mr Peter Wilkinson, said: “A decision on the application will be made by the council’s planning committee, which must take an objective position on the application until it has visited the site, examined the plans and, following advice and recommendations from planning officers, reach a decision based on this, according to planning legislation.

“The planning committee has built up a good level of experience in assessing wind turbines, given the number of applications that they have considered and that have now been erected.

“In particular, the turbines at Rainworth are a reasonable comparison in terms of height and multiple numbers.”