By Thom Kennedy

Last updated at 11:50, Saturday, 17 October 2009

A wind monitoring mast is to be installed near Lazonby ahead of plans by energy giant E.on to build five new wind turbines.

Eden council’s planning committee this week approved plans for the 60-metre monitoring mast to be built on Scratchmere Scar Farm near the village, which the company will use to check the land’s suitability for a windfarm.

However, objector John Nicol, speaking at the meeting, described the mast as ‘monstrous’, and warned that it could lead to ‘the rape of the countryside’.

Councillors passed the application, but raised warnings that the 200 people who objected to the application would be better advised to save their energy for a fight against the actual windfarm.

Each mast is expected to be 120m high and would generate up to 15 megawatts of energy to feed into the National Grid. They would be located around Lazonby Fell, around two and a half miles west of Lazonby village. Three would be on the site of a working quarry, and two more on agricultural land.

First published at 09:11, Saturday, 17 October 2009
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk