Developer plans to build five turbine wind farm at Killington 

Plans for a new wind farm in South Lakeland are set to be revealed at a public exhibition next week.

Banks Renewables is looking to erect five 135-metre high turbines on land between the A684 Sedbergh Road and Junction 37 of the M6 near Killington.

Part of the proposed site is owned by Killington Educational Foundation and Killington United Charities.

It is estimated the turbines will meet the annual electricity consumption requirements of around 9,500 homes.

The developers say around 23,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide would be taken out of the atmosphere every year Up to 50 people could be working onsite through the construction of the wind farm, and local businesses would also be able to tender for contracts worth around £4million.

Banks is about to submit a scoping report on the scheme to South Lakeland Council for initial review, as well as a planning application for a test wind mast to go on the proposed site. It would be used to gather wind speed data that will assist with the scheme design process.

Phil Dyke, development director at Banks Renewables, said: “Onshore wind farms such as Killington are viewed by the government as the cheapest form of renewable energy generation, and are central to achieving the vital goal of continuing to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that we produce as a nation.

“Feedback from local communities always plays an important part in shaping all the proposals that we put forward, and the public engagement programme that we have now commenced will enable local people to give their opinions and ask any questions they might have.

“In addition to generating significant amounts of renewable energy, the Killington Wind Farm would also bring a range of other benefits to the local area, from jobs and commercial opportunities for local businesses through to funding for a range community improvements.

“Sharing the benefits of the property and energy schemes that we operate around the country with the communities in which they are situated is part of Banks’ long-term policy for ensuring that people living in these areas gain tangible, long-term advantages from our presence there – this is already happening locally as a result of our Armistead wind farm, and would very much be part of this proposed new development.

“We are confident that we will be able to design a scheme that is both environmentally acceptable to local communities and capable of producing significant amounts of renewable energy, as we have done at Armistead, and we hope that as many people as possible will be able to attend our initial public exhibition.”

Local people will be able to take their first look at the outline plans at a public exhibition at Killington Parish Hall on Wednesday (April 18) between 3pm and 7pm.

Representatives of Banks Renewables, which is also the company behind the nearby Armistead wind farm, will be on hand to answer questions and gather feedback.

A planning application is expected to be submitted in the autumn.

Further information can be obtained by calling the Banks Renewables’ community engagement team on 0844 209 1515 or 0191 378 6100, or via killington@banksgroup.co.uk