GIANT 125-metre turbines could become part of the Bicester skyline if plans for a windfarm near Fewcott are upheld at the end of a public inquiry.
Plans for a four-turbine wind farm on land between Fritwell and Fewcott have met with fierce opposition from local residents, and members of Cherwell District Council's planning committee went against officers' recommendations to throw out the propos
al in April last year.
But Bolsterstone, the firm behind the windfarm proposals, has appealed to the Government over the decision, forcing the matter to be decided at a public inquiry beginning this week.
Councillors and residents filled the council chamber at Cherwell District Council's base in Bodicote House for the opening day of the
inquiry on Tuesday last week, and it is expected to conclude tomorrow or Wednesday.
The results of the inquiry are due to be announced at the end of April.
Bolsterstone has defended its proposal, saying Fewcott is an excellent location for a wind farm, offering good wind speed and, "limited cumulative visual impact".
It says the proposed turbines on an 80-acre site at Willowbank Farm, close to the Cherwell Valley services on the M40, could generate enough power for more than 5,000 homes.
But Michael Tyce, chairman of the Thame district of Oxfordshire's Campaign to Protect Rural England branch, strongly criticised the plan in a report to the inquiry.
He said while the local landscape is not in a designated protected area "...it is nevertheless of high local value and of national interest".
Mr Tyce said the location was not windy enough to support a productive windfarm, and argued that "...the development would be harmful to heritage assets and local amenity and potentially dangerous to the public".
His views were echoed by local residents and councillors who attended the first day of the inquiry.
Councillor Catherine Fulljames, Cherwell District Council member for Caversfield and Ardley, said: "I don't think some people realise just how big these four turbines are.
"They're 125 metres tall – that's twice the size of Nelson's Column. They could probably be seen from Brackley, Aynho and even Buckingham.
"They are giant, and will completely dwarf the villages of Ardley, Fritwell, Fewcott and Upper Heyford."
