A RENEWABLE energy supplier has submitted plans for a wind farm on farmland north of Winchester.

EDF Energy Renewables has submitted a planning application to Winchester City Council, Basingstoke and Deane Borough council and Test Valley Borough Council for a 14-turbines near Bullington Cross.

The original proposal for 17 turbines, up to 126m tall, has been reduced to 14. The plans have been submitted after the completion of thorough onsite surveys and consultation with residents and stakeholders.

Douglas Paterson, chairman of Keep Hampshire Green, said: “It’s an appalling prospect for the beautiful Hampshire countryside. We think this is an appalling thing to do to your landscape and to your neighbours.

“This is all about money and people are becoming increasingly aware that this is a subsidy scam. This isn’t about energy or serving the land, it’s about harvesting subsidies and getting the snout in the trough.

“These turbines will be the height of Salisbury cathedral. So 14 of them with moving parts means the visual impact will be for a radius of about 20 miles.

“Everyone needs to hold fire until the application is officially registered, then we need as many objections as possible. I think we have a fair chance of winning this thing. We hope we can get it thrown out at the first planning committee because it’s just ridiculous.”

Under the proposals, seven of the turbines are located within the Winchester City Council area, four in Basingstoke and Deane and three in Test Valley.

The proposed wind farm would be capable of producing up to 28MW of low carbon energy - enough to supply the annual domestic electricity requirements of approximately 13,000 homes.

Darren Cuming, onshore wind development manager at EDF Energy Renewables, said: “Following consultation with local residents and the completion of detailed environmental studies, we recently submitted our planning application to the councils concerned.

“EDF Energy Renewables is committed to developing new low carbon electricity generating capacity to maintain energy supply, tackle climate change, and maintain affordable energy prices.

“We believe that the site identified at Bullington Cross is an excellent opportunity to establish a wind farm that can contribute towards these requirements.”

As part of the commitment to working towards Government targets for increased electricity generation from renewable sources, EDF Energy Renewables already has over 500MW of onshore and offshore wind farm projects in operation or construction across the country.