Plea for wind farm legal review

A photomontage of how the scheme would look from land

Campaigners opposed to one of the world's largest offshore wind farms being built off the north Wales coast are planning to seek a judicial review.

The UK government announced earlier this month that the 250-turbine Gwynt y Môr farm would go ahead 10 miles from Llandudno in Conwy county.

Save our Scenery is taking legal advice about its next move.

Campaigner Prof David Bellamy told a meeting in Llandudno on Sunday that the development would "trash" the area.

The Gwynt y Môr (Wind of the Sea) scheme, which will be constructed eight miles off the north Wales coast, is expected to begin producing electricity from 2012.

The wind farm would be built 10 miles off the coast

Combined with three other nearby wind farms, it will provide enough green electricity to power the equivalent of 680,000 homes.

The scheme was approved by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC).

But the Welsh Assembly Government said it had asked for the DECC to have a public inquiry into the proposal because of its visual impact, and taking into account Llandudno's historic built environment.

Sunday morning's meeting in Llandudno town hall was organised by anti-wind farm campaigner John Lawson-Reay, chairman of Save Our Scenery.

He said they had been fighting for a public inquiry into the scheme, but had now turned their attention to trying to seek a judicial review of the government's decision.

Prof David Belllamy at the meeting in Llandudno

The group invited Prof Bellamy, the botanist, TV celebrity and well known opponent of wind farms, and Prof David Hall, who was previously a government advisor, to give general information about the swing to wind farms.

About 2,500 homes have been leafleted in the Llandudno area, although there is limited capacity in the town hall, he said.

He said: "There are a lot of people who are somewhat sceptical about global warming, as it is fed to us.

"There are a lot of anomalies."

Gwynt y Môr is the latest wind farm to be approved off the north Wales coast.

North Hoyle, which has 30 turbines and Burbo, which has 25 turbines, are already up and running, while Rhyl Flats, with its 25 turbines, is into the latter half of its construction phase.

Prof Bellamy said he was "proud" to be back in Wales to oppose the development.

"The wind vandal is about to trash your lovely bay and only you can stop it," he told an audience of around 150.

He said we were being "fed lies" about climate change and the wind farm proposed would destroy the livelihoods of people who depended on tourism.

"If we lose here, the whole of Wales goes," he added.

But renewable energy campaigner Dr Gerry Wolff said: "The wind farm is very urgently needed and would be a major step forward in replacing old forms of energy."

He said he could understand worries over the scenery but said there was a lot of support for the wind farm on the streets from local people and visitors, with some evidence that it could attract tourism and that worries were "misplaced".