Test mast plans submitted for proposed wind farm site

Banks Renewables, part of the Banks Group, is currently developing plans for the proposed Thornton Moor scheme, which would be situated on moorland to the south of Denholme.

It has applied to Bradford Council for permission for a 60m test mast to be erected on site to collect wind data.

Banks said it is planning to invest around £12.5m in the creation of the Thornton Moor wind farm, which it expects to include up to four turbines on the site.

Last year a councillor poured cold water on the proposals.

Coun Chris Greaves, an independent Bradford councillor said of the proposed turbines last October: “They will have an adverse effect on house prices and there is the destruction of the countryside to consider – they are a noisy eyesore.”

Banks says the scheme would have an installed capacity of up to 8MW, which is enough to meet the annual electricity consumption needs of up to 4,400 homes, or that of a town three times the size of Denholme.

Phil Dyke, development director at Banks Renewables, said: “The test mast is a slender, unobtrusive structure that would be used to gather information on the wind resource of the area and we are confident that we have made a strong case for erecting it on the site.”

Anyone wanting further information on the proposed wind farm can visit the Thornton Moor page of the Banks Group’s website by visiting www.banksgroup.co.uk