Farm seeks go-ahead for turbines project

Scarborough Council planning officers have confirmed that they expect to see a wave of applications for wind turbine developments in the future as the Government looks to promote environmentally friendly methods of generating power.

Plans have been submitted for two 50ft turbines at Airy Hill Farm, to the south of Filey, to provide power for the main buildings on the site.

The two turbines are expected to cost up to 130,000 to install at the 1,000-acre farm, which grows potatoes for the McCain factory in Scarborough, although it is hoped that major savings will be made on energy bills in the long term.

Applicant Dave Pick, who runs the farm with his wife, Liz, and her father said: "We are trying to be self-sufficient and provide our own source of energy for the farm.

"Hopefully the council agrees to the proposals next week, and the scheme does fit in with the policies which the Government is promoting."

The application is the sixth scheme to be submitted to the council's planning and development committee in recent months, and the proposals are due to be approved at a meeting next Thursday.

However, officials have sought clarification from Mr Pick over details in the planning application, such as the colour and exact designs of the turbines to ensure that they do not impinge on the surrounding countryside.

The two turbines are due to be built on the embankment of a disused railway line, and it is hoped that they will be operational by the early autumn if councillors approve the plans next week.