Wind turbines could appear on the horizon if plans go ahead 

A multi-million pound windfarm could be built near a former tip in Scarborough if a developer agrees to spearhead the project.

Waste management and recycling company Yorwaste is in the process of tendering a £20 million construction contract for the proposed new development at Seamer Carr.

The Northallerton-based firm is looking for a developer to design, build, finance and operate the windfarm, which is being earmarked for land next to the former landfill site.

The construction element is valued between £10m and £20m and the successful developer will enter into a 25-year contract from completion of construction.

It will then lease the site, install wind generators and share a percentage of the revenue from electricity generation with Yorwaste.

A spokesman for Yorwaste, which is owned by North Yorkshire County Council and City of York Council, said: “We have identified a site at Seamer Carr which may be suitable for a small wind farm and we can confirm that we are looking for expressions of interest from developers who would like to take the scheme forward.

“However as we are so very much in the early stages it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.”

The deadline for the tendering process is December 10. If a developer agrees to sign up to the project, planning permission will need to be obtained from Scarborough Borough Council before the windfarm can be built.

County Councillor for Seamer and Derwent Valley David Jeffels, who also sits on the borough council, said he was not aware of the plans and pledged to “get to the bottom of it”.

He said: “This is obviously going to be a major development and I shall make sure that there is the widest possible consultation on it because it will no doubt have a significant impact on the landscape.

“Meetings will need to take place to make sure the residents of Crossgates and Seamer are made aware of the scheme and its implications, as well as its potential benefits.”

Cllr Jeffels said he would be consulting Seamer Parish Council on the issue at its next meeting on Tuesday.

“I shall be taking a keen personal interest in it and I shall make sure everybody is consulted,” he said.

The chairman of Seamer Parish Council, Harry Smith, said he was also unaware of the proposal.

“Until I have seen a planning application and we have discussed it in council it would not be appropriate to comment at this stage.”

Launched in 2008, Yorwaste’s Seamer Carr Resource Recovery Centre processes materials collected through Scarborough Borough Council’s kerbside collection scheme, including paper, card, cans and plastic bottles. Elsewhere on the site green waste composting is also undertaken and there is a household waste recycling centre where people can recycle or dispose of their waste. The landfill site closed in January and is now undergoing a long-term restoration process that will eventually turn it into grassland. By capturing the gas emitted from the site, Yorwaste produces green electricity that goes back into the national grid.