Turbine battlers set £20k target for fight

Campaigners fighting plans to build six giant wind turbines in South Staffordshire are aiming to raise £20,000 to hire professional experts to back their cause.

The action group against Wind Prospect Developments Ltd plans for six 413ft turbines at King Street, Bradford Estate, near Weston Park, wants to hire landscape consultants, structural engineers and acoustic consultants to help build a rebuttal dossier to present to South Staffordshire Council. A decision is expected to be made on March 15.

Stop the Turbines Action Group (Stag), argues that the turbines will be visible for 30 miles and will ruin the landscape across the district as well as forcing house prices down.

They also raised concerns about potential noise pollution as well as extra traffic caused by a 1.5 kilometre access road which will be required as part of the development.

Stag members are also urging people to write 1,000 letters of objection to the authority's planning committee before the representation deadline of January 28, in a bid to halt development.

Committee members Tony Lendon, David Hill and Tony Skelton made the appeal at a public meeting last night at St Edith's church, in Church Eaton, to more than 60 people.

David Hill, a sales director from High Onn, said: "We need funds to fight this and we need them right now because we have got to get the case right now."

A final protest against the proposal is due to be made by Stag outside the council chamber in Codsall on the day of the meeting.