Ill wind for turbines

Proposals to build four 50 foot-high wind turbines on Penryn's waterfront have been criticised by residents who feel they have been denied an opportunity to comment.

Carrick DistrIct Council's planning department has provisionally approved a development at Jubilee Wharf of the turbines, craft workshops, a nursery, a yoga centre, cafe, and six affordable flats.

Developer Andrew Marston said the £2.5m development will enhance the cultural life of Penryn.

But people living nearby say the turbines will keep them awake at night and distract drivers on the main road.

Mr Marston is expecting Carrick to give full planning permission within the next month and says the speed with which the development is moving through the application process is an indication of the council's attitude to sustainable energy.

I think the council has a real commitment to it Developer Andrew Marston

He said: "We had been consulting with them a year before submitting the plans and they were very positive about the sustainable measures we have put in.

"I think the council has a real commitment to it."

He said the turbines, each with 14 ft long blades, will produce less sound than a car running at 30mph when run at maximum capacity.

Press notices

But Steven Pound who lives and work on Jubillee wharf says that is too much.

He claims that apart from a notice posted on a nearby cafe door, and piece in the local paper, neither he nor the public appear to have been consulted about the plans.

He said: "I have spoken to a number of people in the area, and nobody has heard anything about it.

"As a professional surveyor and developer who deals with planning all the time, I am shocked that an environmental impact assessment has not been carried out.

"The site is very low lying, there are buildings around and the sound will reverberate around the area."

Yachts noise

Len Brokenshire, who sits on Carrick's planning committee, said: "There were notices in the Press and surely if he is in the business he would have seen them.

"The turbines will only be working in the wind and the yachts already there make a tremendous noise when it's windy."

Carl Roberts, head of development services at Carrick District Council, said: "We are exploring whether the due processes have taken place and I would hope that they have been."

If permission is granted, work could start as early as next spring with completion the following year.