Following an initiative by St. Martins Property Investments Limited, owners of Windmill Hill Business Park, npower renewables has put forward plans to erect a turbine at the business park which would put Swindon firmly on the UK's renewable energy map.

This is an exciting proposal between two leading companies in the property and renewable energy fields and could see Swindon among the pioneers of business park turbines.

The plans were initially unveiled in July this year and we are pleased to report that they are progressing well. A number of studies are ongoing to establish what, if any, impact the turbine might have on the local area and, subject to the results of this work, we aim to submit a planning application for the turbine to Swindon Borough Council (SBC) in the coming months.

From feedback provided by local residents in response to the July announcement we have also initiated a newsletter to help keep people informed of the proposal's progress and we hope that you find it useful. The newsletter can be downloaded from the link on the right of this page.

One of the key stages for the project is to assess the wind speed at the site. This is done through the installation of a meteorological mast that measures both the wind speed and its direction. Back in July we applied for planning permission to install such a mast and were pleased to gain consent in August. Work to install the state-of-the-art mast is due to begin shortly and the data it gathers will be used to help predict the potential output of the turbine.

It is undoubtedly a very exciting project for Swindon and we will ensure that local residents, business park users and other neighbouring businesses are kept up to date with our progress through newsletters and the website.

We are also certain that many people will want to find out more about the proposal and, as such, will be holding an exhibition at the business park in the New Year with more detailed information. Look out for details on this website nearer the time.

In the meantime, we understand that you may have some questions about the proposed turbine so we have set up a dedicated e-mail and phone line in order to answer any queries you may have. Please feel free to contact us via e-mail: windmillhill@npower-renewables.com or call 0845 337 3420

You can also contact us to let us know what you think about the newsletter and recommend any areas that you would like more information about in the next edition.

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