THREE-quarters of villagers taking part in a parish poll said they did not want a wind farm at Marshland St James. Just under half the 962 registered voters in the parish voted on whether they wanted the possible development of wind farms on land within

THREE-quarters of villagers taking part in a parish poll said they did not want a wind farm at Marshland St James.

Just under half the 962 registered voters in the parish voted on whether they wanted the "possible development of wind farms on land within or surrounding the parish of Marshland St James".

Out of 442 votes cast in the poll, 341 said no and 101 said yes. But while protestors celebrated the result, the consortium of landowners behind plans to site 20 turbines on farmland near the village said it is pressing ahead and will be applying for planning permission.

A consortium spokesman said: "It must be considered that those that did not turn up to vote have no concerns about the construction of wind turbines, therefore with a 47 per cent turnout at the poll we must assume that 53 per cent of people do not have vehement objections to wind turbines."

Parish council chairman Councillor Jack Bantoft said: "If at some time the parish council is asked to consider a planning application for wind turbines, the result of the parish poll is one of the factors we shall take into account."

A spokesman for Fenland Landscape Against Turbines (FLAT), said: "Once a planning application is submitted we will all need to be prepared to fight our corner via the correct channels.