By GEMMA BROWN gemma.brown@hexham-courant.co.uk

Last updated at 12:57, Friday, 25 September 2009

RESIDENTS in a Tynedale village are preparing to wage war against two proposals which could leave their scenic homes caught between giant wind turbines and a huge opencast mine.

Many in the community of Whittonstall say the proposals – one to recover two million tonnes of coal and another to site three 110 metre-high wind turbines on the edge of the village – will have a catastrophic effect on the area and will ruin lives.

And, despite only being in the planning stages, the developments are already blighting the lives of home owners.

Gillian Corney (47), who has lived in the village for almost 15 years, feels she has had no choice but to take her house off the market when an offer was withdrawn by an interested buyer who pulled out after hearing about the opencast bid.

Mrs Corney and her husband, Paul, who are facing the prospect of having a 340-acre coal mine at the rear of their home, have now vowed to stay and fight the proposals.

She said: “We were absolutely distraught when we heard the buyer had pulled out and the reasons why.”

Thirty years ago villagers successfully fought off plans by the National Coal Board to develop a large opencast site.

That spectre came back to haunt them in August when UK Coal announced its intention to submit a planning application for a site to the north-east of the village. The scheme would create at least 50 jobs for seven years.

UK Coal says it is anticipating a “much smaller” scheme than the 3.5 million tonnes proposal put forward by NCB in 1978.

Project manager Richard Corey said: “The scaled-down proposals will take account of the reasons the larger scheme was rejected, and will include a wide range of measures to protect surrounding communities and the environment.”

A scoping report has been carried out and archaeologists from Durham University have started digging at the site to determine whether evidence exists of “culturally important history”.

Mrs Corney said: “I’m past being upset and feel more angry and determined to fight this as best we can.

“We had our hearts set on another house near Ebchester, but we are just resigned to the fact that we are not going anywhere for the time being.”

She voiced her concerns at a meeting of Shotley Low Quarter Parish Council on Monday night, where another resident, Kevin Rooney, spoke of his fears over a planning application for a windfarm at Boundary Lane, to the south of the village.

This would be sited just 750 metres from his home.

Mr Rooney, a consultant engineer who has lived in the village for five years, said: “This will have a catastrophic effect on everyone in the parish and beyond.

“Permission has already been granted for a windfarm at Kiln Pit Hill and coupled with the Boundary Lane plans and the opencast proposal, it will ruin lives, there is no doubt about it.

“People are attracted to Whittonstall for the views and the open countryside – this will put an end to that.”

Wind Prospect submitted a planning application to Northumberland County Council on June 10 for a three-turbine windfarm which generates up to six megawatts of energy.

The application is yet to be determined but the parish council and Mr Rooney have already objected to the scheme on the grounds of its visual impact, noise and that it would be out of character with the surroundings.

Coun. Will Smith said at the meeting: “We are in a difficult position and it seems Whittonstall is having everything thrown at it from all angles.

“Unless something is done the village could end up sandwiched between all of this.”

The Whittonstall Community Group is now being revived and has plans to hold a public meeting in the village.

First published at 09:50, Friday, 25 September 2009
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk