A SPECIAL meeting will be held to determine whether eight more wind turbines can be built in Fenland, so a committee can look at the applications in greater detail. It means a seven-week wait for Anglian Water and the Co-Operative Group to find out if the

A SPECIAL meeting will be held to determine whether eight more wind turbines can be built in Fenland, so a committee can look at the applications in greater detail.

It means a seven-week wait for Anglian Water and the Co-Operative Group to find out if their plans can go ahead.

Fenland District Council's planning committee deferred their applications after concerns were raised over the close proximity of Anglian Water's application to Horse Creek Farm equestrian centre in Stag's Holt, and over-intensification of the Co-Operative Group's wind farm at Coldham.

The deferral was moved by committee chairman Martin Curtis, who said: "This issue is a very large issue, more than it ever has been in Fenland.

"These are too important an issue to be part of a committee. We should defer this to look at other issues and bring more information forward to consider the applications in a meaningful way."

The two applications were to build one turbine at Anglian Water's pumping station in Creek Road, March, and for seven extra turbines at the Co-Operative Group's wind farm in Coldham.

David Deptford, owner of Horse Creek Farm, told Wednesday's meeting that Anglian Water's turbine would, at 500 metres away, be too close to his centre.

Mr Deptford, who has nine turbines on his farm, said: "We teach handicapped riders on a daily basis who are sensitive to sound and might be sensitive to shadow flicker from the turbine.

"We have 61 events booked for 2008 and these events have up to 300 people attend, bringing a lot of trade to the area, and the horses won't be used to the flicker from the blades.

"If we have accidents through the shadow flicker, people won't come here and the area will lose the trade.