A RENEWABLE energy company has won its appeal to build West Devon's first wind farm. The development in the Den Brook Valley near North Tawton will be only the second windfarm to be built in Devon, but will contain the highest turbines in the country — with nine 120-metre-high masts. Opponents to the scheme described the decision as 'a black day for Devon'. Plans to construct the wind farm were first submitted to West Devon Borough Council by Renewable Energy Systems (RES) in December 2005 but were turned down a month later after more than 3,000 letters of objection were received from residents and businesses in the North Tawton area. RES appealed against that decision and a seven-day public enquiry was held last November, heard by a planning inspector, whose report was released this week. RES said it was 'very pleased' with the outcome, which would generate 'electricity equivalent to the annual needs of more than 10,000 homes — or half of West Devon.' But the Den Brook Valley Action Group (DBVAG), who are opposed to the scheme, said that they had received no detailed estimates about the amount of electricity the development would generate. Chairman Maureen Thomson added: 'The electricity that's generated won't benefit the local area — it'll go straight into the national grid.' The report on the wind farm by the inspector, David Lavender, argues that if climate change is to be tackled, 'action needs to be taken on a wide range of levels, including by individual communities in the United Kingdom.' It concludes that the Den Brook Valley is a landscape which 'would be able to absorb turbines of the height and number proposed'. West Devon Green Party has welcomed the inspector's decision. Spokesperson Martin Quinn said: 'It is a relief that the inspector placed proper emphasis on the overriding importance of tackling climate change. 'For a county like Devon to rely on imported energy from fossil fuels and nuclear power stations is dreadful. It has vast potential resources for renewable energy production from wind, solar and biomass.' But John Shields, who lives less than a mile from the site, said he was 'horrified' by the decision. 'I just cannot understand why wind turbines are perceived to be a worthwhile investment when there are better renewable technologies on the horizon, particularly wave power,' he said. The action group estimates that almost 1,000 homes in the North Tawton area will be seriously affected by the turbines —which will be more than twice the height of Exeter Cathedral. Maureen Thomson said the inspector seemed to have 'totally disregarded' the views of those who wrote to oppose the development: 'All the local councils voted against it, so the logical conclusion was that we could have reasonably expected the appeal to be turned down,' she said. 'One has to question what the whole democratic process means.' West Devon and Torridge MP Geoffrey Cox expressed his dismay at the decision: 'It sets a disturbing precedent for the preservation of the landscape around Dartmoor and proves that Government folly is to be forced through irrespective of the profound opposition of local people. 'These giant commercial machines will be constructed at grotesque expense to the taxpayer, but it is futile to rely on them to achieve any serious reduction in carbon emissions.' RES project manager Rachel Ruffle said the company took the wind farm proposal to appeal because there was local public support for the project and because they were confident they had designed a low impact wind farm that would bring benefits on a national, regional and local scale. The development will bring with it a £27,000 a year community fund to be spent on local projects, a sustainable income for farmers who own the land on which it is sited, and local sourcing of labour and materials. Deputy chairman of West Devon Borough Council's planning committee Dennis Bater said the proposal for the wind turbines was initially refused because 'the development was out of scale with the landscape where it was being proposed and it would be significantly detrimental to the amenity of nearby residents'. He said the council's view on that had not changed, but added: 'Clearly, the inspector considered the need for renewable energy to be an overriding consideration.' RES said that at this stage it was too early to give any indication of when it will start work on the Den Brook wind farm, but it will be considering the matter 'over the coming weeks'. The action group will be holding a meeting to discuss its reaction to the decision on Thursday evening.