AROUND 30 residents of Inwardleigh parish turned out for a public meeting last week to discuss a planning application for a wind turbine in the area.

Inwardleigh Parish Council organised the meeting, held in Folly Gate Parish Hall, to discuss the ongoing planning application for a 78-metre turbine at Waytown.

It was the first opportunity for the parish council to gauge reaction to the plans since a public meeting held in June by developers ClearWinds and Energy4All.

Plans and photo montages of what the turbine would look like were on display. Among those in attendance was West?Devon Cllr James McInnes.

The proposed turbine would be located approximately three kilometres south west of Inwardleigh village, surrounded by agricultural land. It would have a maximum hub height of 50 metres and a tip height of up to 78 metres.

With an installed capacity of up to 0.85 megawatts, the turbine could power around 475 homes, displacing in the region of 24,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions during its 25-year lifespan.

Tim and Janet White's bungalow is just over a kilometre from the proposed turbine site, with their garden's back hedge around 800 metres from the site.

Mr White said: 'The general gist at the meeting was that people seemed overwhelmingly opposed to the turbine. There was one lady in support, and we agree to disagree because nobody wishes to fall out with neighbours, but the overwhelming majority are opposed to these proposals.

'When you look at the photo montages produced by developers they have removed telegraph poles and other points of reference to show just how big the turbine will be. Hopefully, we should receive montages that have these poles in place.'

Residents of the parish can invest between £250 and £20,000 in a community co-operative, which buys them a share in the turbine project. Capital is returned to investors at the end of the 25-year project, and profits made from the production of electricity will be distributed to members through an annual dividend.

Speaking to the Times, John Malone, development director at Energy4All, the team behind the turbine, said: 'We have been talking to people interested in the co-operative, sharing e-mails and there has been local support for the project.

'It is early days as the application has only recently gone in, but there is interest in the co-operative locally, and further afield across Devon.

'It takes a bit of time but as with our other co-operatives across the country, the support for it will build, I am sure. Many people have an interest in investing in green energy.'

Marilyn Cooper, clerk of Inwardleigh Parish Council, said: 'It turned out to be a very constructive meeting, giving everyone the chance to put forward their views, which everyone did sensibly and constructively.

'The arguments were predictable, with the turbine's visual impact on the area being a big talking point. The size of the turbine and its placement means it would be seen for miles around. The noise was also raised as an issue, and concerns that if it goes ahead, there would be noise affecting people living nearby.

'Tourism and access to the site were also brought up, about potential road closures and how people would get the equipment to the site. It was a constructive meeting and very worthwhile.'