CAMPAIGNERS are fighting plans to install a 60-foot wind turbine on high ground at a historic village on the outskirts of Leeds.
Residents in the village of Thorner say the proposals, which have been submitted by a local farmer, will spoil the landscape and are on too large a scale.
Parish councillors are backing the residents’ battle against the green energy scheme and it is hoped Leeds City Council will turn down the plans to build the turbine on a prominent hilltop.
Businessman Paul Walker, who lives in a cottage close to the site, said: “The original plan was to build a turbine only 50 metres from neighbouring houses.
“We raised concerns about possible noise and shadow flicker effects from the moving turbine blades, and so a revised site has now been proposed.
“However, the new site is in a very visible position that will be seen from many parts of the village and will spoil many of the views looking across and out from Thorner.
“We all agree that renewable energy is the way forward; however, the desecration of our countryside is not. We are not against wind turbines but they have to be in the right place.”
Parish councillors have lodged a formal complaint on the grounds that the site is in a Special Landscape Area. They are also working with Leeds city councillors on an advisory document about the village’s future.
Parish council chairman Scott Marshall said: “When we consulted residents, there was overwhelming support for ensuring we preserve the important views into and out of the village.
“The site is in one of the most sensitive landscape locations, and with consultation, a less prominent location can be found.”
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