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We are fighting to stop the erection of 20 wind-turbines on common land in the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Lancashire. The site is Claughton Moor and Whit Moor, seven miles north-east of Lancaster.
The society has objected to a planning application from Community Windpower Ltd, and to an application for works on common land for a 50-metre-high meteorological mast to assess the wind levels on the moor.
Says Kate Ashbrook, our general secretary: ‘The turbines will be a blot on Bowland. This is common land in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the development conflicts with both designations.
‘The public has the right to walk on all commons, and people’s enjoyment of this lovely area will be ruined, not only by the turbines but by all the paraphernalia which accompanies them. Our tranquillity and feeling of escape will be destroyed,’ Kate argues.
‘Furthermore, the applicants are only now applying for consent to erect a meteorological mast on the common, to assess the wind speeds. So they are applying for planning consent for the turbines when they don’t even know if there’s enough wind to support them, and before they have the Secretary of State for Environment’s consent to locate the turbines on common land.
‘We trust that Lancaster City Council will reject the planning application, and that the Planning Inspectorate, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, will reject the application for works on common land.’