Front Generator Wind Turbine

A WIND farm project in Crowle would provide power for 9,000 homes, according to developer REG Windpower.

The company is due to start a consultation with Crowle residents before a planning application is submitted for the seven-turbine development.

The scheme, called the Old River Don wind farm, would also include a proposed community benefit fund worth £70,000 a year for local projects and initiatives.

The company has been carrying out background noise monitoring and other environmental assessments as part of the scoping requirements, for a prospective planning application this summer

The proposal would see a wind farm extension joining the Tween Bridge development, on land north of Medge Hall level crossing, and the Stainforth and Keadby canal.

Tracey Siddle, project manager for REG Windpower, said: "We recognise this area of North Lincolnshire is already doing its bit for renewable energy generation – the Humber corridor is a particularly productive area for wind energy – but we consider that expanding an existing site has less impact than creating a brand new site.

"We are keen to seek feedback from local residents in the vicinity of Crowle and Thorne, and look forward to discussing the proposals at our local events."

REG Windpower will hold public information sessions in Crowle on Friday, January 10 and Saturday, January 11 about the proposals.

The company currently operates 14 UK wind farms, with a further seven under or awaiting construction, and a further 24 schemes planned.

The Old River Don scheme would be capable of generating 14 MW of renewable energy, enough to meet the energy needs of up to 9,000 homes.

But North Lincolnshire Council ward member for Axholme North, John Briggs, is firmly against the proposals.

He said: "As far as I am concerned North Axholme and the Isle has already done more than enough.

"Our landscape is already saturated with them. We have played our part.

"The planning committee will decide, and should an application come in I will call it in to be discussed.

"I am a resident of the Isle as well, and from that point-of- view I think we have already got so many here, we are being treated as a soft touch.

"Obviously it is important to find solutions for energy in the future, but this talk of power for 9,000 homes is wrong. It will not go to local homes, but be distributed nationwide through the national grid.

"There are parts of the country that don't have any wind farms. While I am supportive of renewable energy, there should be a fair contribution from elsewhere in the country."

North Lincolnshire Council has been notified of the proposals, along with local parish councils and local community groups, and local residents in Crowle have received information leaflets.

The Friday information session in January will run from noon to 5pm at Crowle Community Hub, with the Saturday session running from 10am to 4pm at Crowle Community Hall.