A public inquiry into a wind farm that could power every home in Alnwick and Berwick has been set for later this year.

The 12 day long inquiry over the 18 turbines at Middlemoor, near North Charlton will get underway on Tuesday 13th November. It will see Alnwick District Council defend its decision made in February this year to object to the application by npower renewables for consent for the wind farm.

Clare Wilson, Regional Development Manager for npower renewables said, "This is good news for the project, a public inquiry will provide a balanced forum in which to discuss the facts about the wind farm.

"The council will have to defend an objection that contradicts its own planning department's recommendation not to oppose the wind farm, as well as the county council's recommendation that the wind farm is acceptable, and that of three separate reports into the scope for building wind farms in the area.

"Climate scientists predict further extreme weather patterns in the future, so it really is time for Northumberland to start contributing to reducing carbon emissions from energy and wind farms, like that at Middlemoor, can really make a difference.

"We have seen a number of studies that have all endorsed the use of wind power at North Charlton so it will be interesting to see how the councillors have weighed up the need for new renewable energy projects and the environmental benefits of the proposed wind farm, and balanced that against what they perceive to be the local environmental impacts of the scheme."

• Michael Pullan
  PR Officer, npower renewables
  Tel: : 01793 892053
• Kim Daye
  PR assistant, npower renewables
  Tel: : 01793 894947

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