Broadview

< Back to all project news 14 Jul 2010 - Spring Farm Ridge Broadview Energy meets local residents

Yesterday, (Tuesday, July 13th) Broadview Energy Limited hosted a public exhibition regarding its plans for a small wind farm consisting of five wind turbines on agricultural land between the villages of Helmdon, Greatworth and Sulgrave. The exhibition, which was the second one of the project so far, was held in Helmdon Primary School on Tuesday evening and was attended by over 200 People.

The exhibition provided the first opportunity for members of the local community to view plans of the sites proposed layout including information on the size and the location of the wind turbines, as well as images of how the turbines will look from a number of important local viewpoints. Attendees also had the chance to discuss the recently completed works for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and discuss the outcomes with members of the Broadview Energy team as well as environmental and planning consultants.

Olly Buck, Project Manager for Broadview Energy, said: “After undertaking a number of environmental assessments to confirm the suitability of the Spring Farm Ridge site, we wanted to continue to share our plans with the local community. The exhibition provided a good opportunity for local people to give feedback on our updated plans for the site and to discuss the various assessments which have been undertaken. Also, it has given us the chance to demonstrate how the site might look and answer any questions people had.”

Prior to Tuesday’s exhibition, a newsletter was distributed to 7,500 homes which gave further information on the projects progress and provided local people with the opportunity to register their views. The newsletter and feedback form are available from the Spring Farm Ridge project website (www.springfarmridge.co.uk). In parallel with the future submission and evaluation of the Spring Farm Ridge planning application, Broadview Energy will continue to consult on its plans with the local community. As part of this ongoing consultation, the Broadview Energy team will be hosting a second public visit to an operational wind farm (at Burton Wold in Northamptonshire) where interested residents can see modern wind power in action.

Olly Buck of Broadview Energy said: “Public consultation and feedback from local people has been an essential part of the development and planning process for the Spring Farm Ridge wind farm. Public feedback has been used in conjunction with environmental and technological assessments to grow our initial proposal into a wind farm plan that best suits the local area. We continue to encourage the public’s engagement and feedback throughout the planning and development process.”

Subject to the approval of a planning application, construction and operation of the Spring Farm Ridge site could begin in 2011. Upon construction of the wind farm Broadview Energy will establish and donate money to a community benefit fund every year that the wind farm is operational. The amount donated will be between £25,000 and £30,000 per year and will support local community projects.

Broadview will be finalising its plans with the aim of submitting a planning application to South Northamptonshire Council during September. Upon submission of the application the Council will undertake a wide ranging consultation exercise with a number of organisations as well as local residents before making a decision on the proposal.

 

For media enquiries, please contact:
Paul Taylor at Taylor Keogh Communications (paul@taylorkeogh.com / 020 3170 8466) Lisa Ross at Broadview Energy Limited (lross@broadviewenergy.com / 020 8487 9150)

Notes to editors:

• Additional information on the Spring Farm Ridge wind farm project can be found at www.broadviewenergy.com or http://www.springfarmridge.co.uk
• Broadview Energy Limited develops wind energy projects in the United Kingdom that will generate clean, sustainable energy. Broadview takes projects from site identification, through the planning process, to construction and ultimately operation. The company focuses on small projects, typically between two and ten turbines. It currently has a number of projects under various stages of development throughout the United Kingdom.