Member Article

Revised County Durham wind farm project could create 30 jobs

Developer Banks Renewables has announced plans to build a new wind farm on agricultural land in Teesdale, creating 30 new jobs in the site preparation and construction processes.

The County Durham-based firm recently submitted an updated design for the proposed scheme to Durham County Council, which includes the removal of one of the original five turbines and a 10m increase in the tip height of the remaining four turbines to 125m.

An increase in the value of the associated community benefits fund, which would now be worth up to £1.75m.

Discussions about the project have been continuing with local people, groups and community leaders about the detail of the Windy Bank proposals, and Helen Goodman MP believes that it offers the area a chance to address a number of pressing local needs.

She said: “Labour remains strongly supportive of using appropriately-located onshore wind farm developments as part of the UK’s future energy infrastructure, and the Windy Bank Wind Farm would seem to offer a great deal to the local community alongside the green energy it would produce.

“With Government funding for projects addressing areas such as skills development, employability and fuel poverty remaining very stretched, the resources that the Windy Bank community benefits fund would make available locally could make a huge difference to the lives of many people in different parts of our community.”

“As someone who is firmly in favour of renewable energy and onshore wind farms, and of the communities in which such schemes are based benefiting from their development, I’m firmly in favour of the Windy Bank Wind Farm going forward and would hope that Durham County Council will agree with my views.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .