A survey of residents living near the site of a proposed wind farm development on the outskirts of Burnham-On-Sea has found overwhelming opposition to the scheme.
NoPilrow, the campaign group opposed to the proposed development of six 140 metre tall turbines at Pilrow Farm near Rooksbridge, asked 624 residents in the Rooksbridge and East Brent area for their opinions.
The survey revealed 561 are against the plans, 36 are undecided while just 27 are backing the scheme.
Nick Woolmington, Chairman of NoPilrow, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “The survey clearly demonstrates that our campaign against the wind farm represents the huge majority.”
He added that the survey – which was conducted during October – illustrates the “depth of feeling against these hugely unpopular and unwanted plans.”
Tom Cosgrove, project manager at Broadview Energy, said: “Before we draw conclusions from a questionnaire of any kind, it’s important to review the questions asked and the nature of the study group. For the results to be meaningful, the questions should be objective and the respondents need to be a representative cross section of the community.”
“However, it’s not unusual for there to be some localised opposition to developments such as this, as they inevitably change the local environment.”
“We do understand the community’s concerns and we want to keep an open dialogue with residents.”
“We would also encourage people to consider the broader picture. The UK is currently facing a significant challenge in keeping the lights on and, with the imminent closure of both nuclear and coal power stations across the country, onshore wind has the potential to contribute towards filling that gap at a relatively low cost.”
Broadview Energy intends to submit a planning application for its six 140 metre high turbines at the Pilrow wind farm site in early 2012 and, if approved, the site could be operational in the summer of 2013.
Pictured: Top, a photo montage of how the wind farm might look according to the campaign group; centre, a map showing the location of the site; and above the Broadview project team during a recent consultation event
