Houses dwarfed as wind turbines arrive

The blades arrived stacked on top of a ship before being unloaded onto huge low loaders belonging to Collett & Sons’ specialist transporters – their final destination being Cambridgeshire.

More are bound to follow, as construction gets under way on two other massive farms – a 16-turbine scheme at Goole Fields and a 10-turbine development at Sixpennywood, near Howden.

The number of large turbines in Yorkshire is set to triple within the next few years.

Meanwhile controversial plans to build two wind turbines near the picturesque setting of Bolton Abbey are being recommended for refusal by council planning officers.

Kelda Water Services has submitted a fresh planning application for two 75-metre turbines on land at its Chelker reservoir site, at Addingham, near Ilkley, after ditching previous plans to put up three in the face of significant opposition.

The site is about three-quarters of a mile from the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and Bolton Abbey is around one and a half miles away.

The company has said it has listened to concerns, moved the proposed location of the turbines and reduced their height by five metres to address complaints.

But protesters have vowed to fight the proposals which would see Kelda replacing four existing 45-metre turbines which were installed in 1991, with two which would be far taller.

Craven District Council’s planning committee meets on Monday to discuss the application.

Over a hundred objections have been received, together with six letters of support.

The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is concerned the proposal “would have a seriously harmful impact on the natural beauty of the national park landscape.”