West Lindsey: Developers pleased with wind farm public exhibition

Around 80 people turned out to look at plans for a six turbine wind farm on land between Saundby and Gainsborough last week.
Partnerships for Renewables wind farm plans on display at the United Reformed Church in Gainsborough. Pictured are Tim Davies, Susannah Miller, Colm Ryan and Heather Jones G131011-5bPartnerships for Renewables wind farm plans on display at the United Reformed Church in Gainsborough. Pictured are Tim Davies, Susannah Miller, Colm Ryan and Heather Jones G131011-5b
Partnerships for Renewables wind farm plans on display at the United Reformed Church in Gainsborough. Pictured are Tim Davies, Susannah Miller, Colm Ryan and Heather Jones G131011-5b

Partnerships for Renewables hosted the events at Beckingham-cum-Saundby Village Hall and the Gainsborough United Reformed Church to share progress on the proposal with the community.

The company has been working with the Environment Agency to investigate the viability of a wind energy development at the site since 2011.

Visitors were able to see plans of the proposal and a number of photomontage visualisations at various local viewpoints, along with a host of additional information on wind energy.

A spokesman for PfR said people had found the events informative and welcomed the opportunity to meet and speak with the PfR team.

He said the company had also received ‘many good suggestions’ in relation to local projects that could potentially be supported by the community benefit fund offered by PfR.

The fund would provide £75,000 each year during the operational phase of the project.

Jerry Sturman, regional manager for PfR, said: “It was good to see so many people at the public exhibitions and encouraging to see interest locally in the proposed development.”

“We’re very pleased to have had this opportunity to talk to local people in person about the detail of the project.”

Additional community surgeries are planned to be held following the submission of the planning application, which is due later this year.

This will give people the opportunity to view the planning application in its entirety, including the environmental assessments and a wider range of photomontages that will be produced for the planning application.

Work will now continue on compiling the environmental statement which will form a key part of the planning application.

The planning application will be considered by Bassetlaw Council’s planning team who will ask for the views of residents and parish councils as well as expert organisations such as the Ministry of Defence, the Civil Aviation Authority, Natural England, English Heritage, environmental health, the RSPB, Highways authorities and others.

Materials from the exhibitions will be posted on the Saundby project website shortly at www.pfr.co.uk/saundby

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