Latest news – Anemometer Mast Appeal

At the end of November 2007 we appealed against the council’s decision to reject a planning application for a temporary anemometer mast, which we are planning to install on the site to collect wind data for two years.

Following the conclusion of the appeal process, we intend to submit the planning application for the wind farm.

Chiplow Wind Turbine Cluster - the proposed site

The proposed site is situated on arable farmland between the villages of Barmer, Syderstone and Bagthorpe in the King's Lynn and West Norfolk district of Norfolk.

Why Chiplow?

The site at Chiplow has an excellent wind resource. Our initial assessment has identified that it has significant potential to accommodate a cluster of wind turbines with minimum impact on the environment and the local residents.

The Chiplow Wind Turbine Cluster would:

• Provide electricity equivalent to the annual needs of approximately 5,000 residential homes (1) (nine percent of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk household demand (2)).
• Help to combat global climate change by saving over 11,000 (3)   tonnes of CO₂ from being emitted into the atmosphere each year.
• Contribute to the East of England renewable energy targets- by 2010, 14% of energy generation in the region should come from renewable sources.
• Help to reduce the UK’s reliance on finite and imported energy sources.
• Boost the local and regional economy through local employment contracts for design, installation and maintenance of the wind farm and through income associated with rural diversification.
• Provide an annual community fund of approximately £20,000 per year for the lifetime of the project (around 20 years) to be managed by a committee of local representatives and spent as the community sees fit.
  

(1) Typical household electricity consumption of 4.7MWh/year (DUKES, 2004).
(2) Based on a figure of 58,338 residential households in King’s Lynn and West Norfolk (CENSUS 2001).  
(3) Grid electricity converting factor of 430g CO2/kWh (DBERR 2007).

The development process

We have appointed a team of independent environmental consultants, who have completed an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of our proposals.

The EIA has included specific assessments of archaeology, noise, geology, landscape and visual effects, access and highway disruption and the indicative grid connection routes.

The EIA has been conducted in close liaison with the RSPB, Natural England, Norfolk Wildlife Trust and several other consultee organisations. This will ensure that the final wind farm design and layout does not interfere with sensitive species or wildlife designated sites.

Public Consultation

We held a public exhibition about the proposal on 14th and 15th June 2007 at the Amy Robsart Village Hall in Syderstone.

Over 200 people attended the two day event, taking time to view the details of the proposed scheme and to share their thoughts on the proposal.

We welcome your views on this proposal as well as your ideas on how the community could benefit from this wind farm.

If you would like to join our Chiplow Wind Turbine Cluster mailing list please email us with the subject heading "Chiplow" or write to the Chiplow Project Developer, Community Power, E.ON UK, Westwood Way, Westwood Business Park, Coventry CV4 8LG.

wind.clusters@eon-uk.com

June 2007 Newsletter (PDF, 2MB)

February 2007 Newsletter (PDF, 275KB)