Wind farm battle on brink of being won
Cornwall Council's planning officers have urged members of the strategic planning committee to reject the plan for 20 turbines at Davidstow when they meet to determine the application by Community Wind Power on Tuesday night.
But the same officers have dealt a blow to objectors fighting to prevent more turbines being built at nearby Otterham, with a recommendation to approve that bid.
North Cornwall has been targeted by wind energy companies over the years and there is now a cluster of four bids still to be determined.
Repercussions
Officers say supporting one scheme is likely to have repercussions for others nearby.
Councillors will be told next week they should refuse the 126-metre high turbines as they will have a harmful impact on the important landmark sites of Rough Tor and Brown Willy, the two highest peaks in the county.
Campaign group STINC (Stop Turbines In North Cornwall) have urged people to swamp the planning meeting in Camelford on Tuesday.
STINC's Bob English said locals had been fighting wind farms in the area for 13 years, but there had been particular concern raised over the latest Davidstow proposal.
"It's caused the most concern to people all over Cornwall and utter annoyance to locals,
"Community Wind Power called their project Davidstow Community Wind Farm in an attempt to appear to have the backing of local people,'' claimed Mr English.
"But this is not true as seven local parish councils, and Camelford Town Council have all rejected the application.
"When it came before the east sub area planning committee, councilors couldn't understand how the application ever got to the committee stage,'' he said.
He feared that even more wind companies would be eyeing up North Cornwall in the future.
"To these companies we seem an easy target because we want to be green – but we are not that green.
"Cornwall has not experienced the new generation of turbines which dwarf the existing ones. There are eight working wind farms in our narrow peninsular and many more earmarked.
"Hopefully this bid at Davidstow will end on Tuesday with councillors having the common sense to reject it.
"It will be a great relief when the application is put to rest, and we hope the company will accept that they have misjudged not only the location of the wind farm, but underestimated the population's ability to see through the propaganda.
"If Community Wind Power lodges an appeal, it will fly in the face of all their claims of consultation and engagement with local people.''
Community Wind Power says the wind farm would provide a significant and positive boost to renewable electricity generation in Cornwall, and community benefits of at least £150,000 per year would be available for local communities.
The company said more than £55 million would be initially invested if the scheme gets the go-ahead.
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