By John Elworthy NEIGHBOURING South Holland District Council s fears over wind turbines around Tydd St Giles have been dismissed as unreasonable in a report presented to Fenland District Council. South Holland Council argues that classification of the ar

By John Elworthy

NEIGHBOURING South Holland District Council's fears over wind turbines around Tydd St Giles have been dismissed as unreasonable in a report presented to Fenland District Council.

South Holland Council argues that classification of the area around Tydd St Giles as medium to high capacity for medium and large groups of turbines is at odds with their own studies.

However consultants who drew up Fenland Council's wind turbine guidelines, which is expected to receive Cabinet approval on Thursday, reject the South Holland study.

"This uses very different criteria to those used for Fenland and classifies much of the district as unsuitable for wind turbine development," says the Landscape Partnership.

They claim "it is not seen as appropriate to show the whole of the Wisbech Settled Fen as unsuitable for wind turbine development".

The dispute is timely, given the outcome of public meetings recently in the area which have voted against a proposal for seven 127 metre tall turbines at Grange Farm near Tydd St Mary.

Cabinet will also hear of conflicting opinions on further wind turbines. Whittlesey Town Council and March Town Council objected to more wind turbines.

And they were joined by Parson Drove and Doddington parish councils who also want an end to turbine development.

However both Manea Parish Council and Benwick Parish Council expressed support for wind turbines, whilst Chatteris Town Council raised specific points about protecting Chatteris Airfield, visual impact, proximity to roads and called for a monitoring body "to learn from past mistakes".

Christchurch Parish Council believes development should be limited to existing sites if there has been to further wind turbines.

Other points raised in the report were a comment from NHS Cambridgeshire that health issues had not been included in the study.

Cambs County Council argued the study had not taken account of the "buried landscapes" which define the prehistoric archaeological and topographical character of Fenland.