New wind farm proposals to help meet Tees Valley renewable energy targets

Friday 04 July 2008

Plans for a new wind farm on land to the north east of Darlington that will go a long way towards meeting the Tees Valley’s renewable energy targets are set to be revealed by a local developer.

County Durham firm Banks Developments has begun preparing a scoping report for the proposed development on land to the north east of Barmpton, around three miles to the east of the A1.

Detailed proposals for what is being called the Moor House scheme are still in development, but it is expected that the development would encompass up to ten turbines with a maximum tip height of 125m.

The location has been chosen due to the suitability of the landscape and the recorded strength of the wind in the area.

A full public consultation exercise around the proposals will be undertaken over the coming months, at which local people will be able to provide feedback, and an initial public exhibition will take place later in the summer.

Banks Developments, which is behind the north east’s largest wind farm at Tow Law, is already in discussion with Durham Tees Valley Airport and other consultees over the location and design of the proposed development.

Stuart Provan, Senior Development Planner at Banks Developments, says: “The Darlington Borough Council area has been identified as somewhere suitable for wind farm development, and our analysis shows that the landscape around the Barmpton area is the most suitable location for such a scheme.

“Discussions are already ongoing with Durham Tees Valley Airport regarding any concerns that they might have about the development, and we strongly believe that the scheme can be designed in such a way as to successfully alleviate them.

“The Tees Valley area has a target of delivering 138MW of energy from renewable sources by 2010, with a goal of doubling this figure by 2020 – the Moor House wind farm would go a long way towards meeting this initial target and would provide enough renewable energy to power thousands of local homes without generating any harmful greenhouse gases.

“The recent Government announcement on the future of energy in the UK highlighted the importance of on-shore wind power generation, and we are confident that this scheme will be of significant benefit to both the communities around it and the wider region.

“Feedback from local people will play an important part in the shaping of our plans, and we will be holding a number of events in the coming months at which they will be able to give their opinions and ask any questions they might have.”

A planning application is expected to be submitted by Banks Developments to Darlington Borough Council in 2009.

Last updated: Friday 04 July 2008, 13:15 PM