Broadview

< Back to all project news 20 Oct 2010 - Spring Farm Ridge Broadview seeks approval for renewable energy project

Plans for a new wind farm to the north of Brackley have been submitted to South Northamptonshire Council.  The proposed Spring Farm Ridge renewable energy project is located on agricultural land between the villages of Greatworth, Helmdon and Sulgrave.

The proposal by Broadview Energy Limited is for a wind farm of five turbines and associated infrastructure which could generate enough clean electricity to meet the average annual requirements of around 6,000 households.

During the development process, Broadview has executed a comprehensive stakeholder engagement strategy regarding its proposals with key consultees such as English Heritage, local councils, residents, community representatives and a range of other organisations.

In July of this year, following an initial community consultation event in March, a public exhibition was conducted at Helmdon Village Primary School which was attended by approximately 200 people.  A large number of visitors to the exhibition were local residents who were able to learn more about the proposal and question members of the Broadview team. The two consultation events allowed Broadview to gather feedback on their proposals and factor this into the final design of the scheme. 

In addition to the consultation activities, a number of environmental and technical assessments have been carried out to examine possible effects of the scheme covering a variety of issues that include: noise, landscape, cultural heritage, transport and nature conservation impacts.  The findings of these various assessments are presented within an Environmental Statement which accompanies the planning application. 

South Northamptonshire Council will now undertake a wide ranging consultation exercise with a number of organisations as well as local residents before making a decision on the proposal.

Jeffrey Corrigan, Managing Director of Broadview Energy said: “We have looked very carefully at the Spring Farm Ridge site and we feel that it is an ideal location for a small number of wind turbines. The application is thorough and informed by a comprehensive range of detailed technical and environmental assessments.  The proposal that we have submitted has been developed with full regard to relevant national and local planning guidance and we have adapted the plans in light of our consultations.  The turbines can generate clean electricity for many years to come and, importantly, if the scheme is approved, the local area can expect to receive financial support for community-based projects.  We have proposed a community fund that would support local community groups and projects with up to £750,000 over the wind farm’s 25 year lifetime.  We now look to South Northamptonshire Council to grant planning permission for the wind farm.”

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

Notes to editors:

• Broadview Energy Limited www.broadviewenergy.com develops wind energy projects in the United Kingdom that generate clean, sustainable energy. Broadview takes projects from site identification, through the planning process, to construction and ultimately operation. The company’s first windfarm (near Aberdeen) entered operation in January 2010. Broadview has a number of other projects at various stages of the development process throughout the United Kingdom.
• More information on the Spring Farm Windfarm can be obtained via the dedicated project web pages: www.springfarmridge.co.uk
• The Spring Farm Ridge Planning Application, Environmental Statement and Visualisations will shortly be available on the project website.