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Fair wind for city turbine plans
6:30am Wednesday 30th January 2008
Comments (29)The city of dreaming spires could become the Windy City after it emerged plans were being drawn up for four giant wind turbines.
Council bosses are in advanced talks with experts about putting 125m-tall generators on land near the BMW plant in Cowley and at Sandford Brake, close to Grenoble Road in Blackbird Leys.
Experts said there was enough room on each site to accommodate two turbines.
The scheme - which would cost more than £8m and generate enough electricity to power 5,000 homes a year - would be entirely funded by Partnerships for Renewals (PfR), which is part of the Carbon Trust.
The organisation would build the turbines, rent the land off the council and sell back power at a reduced rate - with the rest put on the national grid.
Each mast would be 80m high, with the rotors measuring 90m in diameter. Each would generate as much as three megawatts of power a year.
Last night, the scheme was broadly welcomed by people who could be living in the shadow of a giant turbine.
Colin Whittaker, 65, of Sparrow Way, Greater Leys, said: "I'm quite happy for them to give it a go here. I have got no concerns at all."
Angela Simms, also of Sparrow Way, added: "Turbines have got to be better than all the pylons out there at the moment.
"It's going to be generating sustainable energy which is good too."
But Carol Shearman, 49, of Hobby Court, Greater Leys, said: "My concern is there could be noise issues."
The city council was involved in secret talks last year and since then, every piece of land the authority owns has been examined to find the most suitable sites. More detailed tests will now be carried out.
Last night, city council leader John Goddard said: "We are in the early stages of investigating suitable sites for community-scale wind turbines and the potential benefits available.
"This is a great opportunity, which we must explore."
The Brasenose site would be visible from Brasenose Wood and Shotover Country Park, parts of which were gifted to the city council by Oxford Preservation Trust.
Trust chairman Debbie Dance said: "We would look at each one according to its merits and the impact on the landscape."
A turbine could be erected as early as 2010, or within a year of receiving the go-ahead from planners.
Stephen Ainger, chief executive of PfR, said: "The public sector owns enough land in the UK to make a significant contribution towards the fight against climate change.
"We hope other public sector bodies will follow the pro-active example being set by Oxford City Council."
City climate change officer Paul Spencer added: "This presents us with a unique opportunity that would not be possible under our own resources."
The city council has set itself a target of reducing its carbon dioxide emissions by 25 per cent by 2010. And at the heart of that pledge will be finding alternative sources of power.
Turbines work in the same way as windmills and use wind to generate electricity.
One turbine can generate enough power for about 1,100 homes.
If four were built in Oxford, it is estimated that 12 megawatts of electricity could be generated - enough for 5,000 homes.
Your Say YourOxford Mail
joe, oxford says...
9:33am Wed 30 Jan 08
Mr Ison wrote:yep more hot air and wind is generated there ;-)
I would choose Kidlington.
coonie, says...
9:35am Wed 30 Jan 08
Mr Ison, England says...
9:37am Wed 30 Jan 08
alan page, says...
10:20am Wed 30 Jan 08
coonie wrote:Ok. Bonn Square it is then.
No no no no no, over my dead body
Thanks for the permission.
Tony Brett, Oxford says...
11:53am Wed 30 Jan 08
alan page, says...
1:00pm Wed 30 Jan 08
How many homes are there in Oxford?
Just interested to know how many of these brd shredders are planned.
ac, says...
1:38pm Wed 30 Jan 08
so oxford 4 is only the start.
what they dont tell you is it will affect your tv reception if the turbine is between you and the tv mast at Beckley.
coonie, says...
1:40pm Wed 30 Jan 08
joe, oxford says...
1:41pm Wed 30 Jan 08
ac wrote:quite true about tv reception.. and radio and sky and mobile phone.. all affected. but all in the progress of saving the environment....
I live 10 miles from a wind farm,they start with 10 then they now want to double its size. so oxford 4 is only the start. what they dont tell you is it will affect your tv reception if the turbine is between you and the tv mast at Beckley.
sam, oxford says...
1:42pm Wed 30 Jan 08
coonie wrote:exactly why we should have gone nuclear a long time ago.. if we did we would not be having our electricity prices going up by 15% now as we would not be dependant on gas and oil barons..
What they also dont tell you is that the amount of energy taken to build these while elephants is less than the energy they will generate over their lifespan
coonie, says...
1:42pm Wed 30 Jan 08
Oh and spre me the environmental crap, they do nothing but harm to the environment
sam, oxford says...
1:43pm Wed 30 Jan 08
coonie wrote:exactly why we should have gone nuclear a long time ago.. if we did we would not be having our electricity prices going up by 15% now as we would not be dependant on gas and oil barons..
What they also dont tell you is that the amount of energy taken to build these while elephants is less than the energy they will generate over their lifespan
sam, oxford says...
1:45pm Wed 30 Jan 08
coonie wrote:exactly why we should have gone nuclear a long time ago.. if we did we would not be having our electricity prices going up by 15% now as we would not be dependant on gas and oil barons..
What they also dont tell you is that the amount of energy taken to build these while elephants is less than the energy they will generate over their lifespan
joe, oxford says...
1:47pm Wed 30 Jan 08
C, says...
1:59pm Wed 30 Jan 08
alan page, says...
2:00pm Wed 30 Jan 08
Cheep-cheep.
Cheep-cheep.
CHOP!!!
stef, didcot says...
2:23pm Wed 30 Jan 08
C wrote:we already have one in culham.
Can we have a nuclear reactor instead, please?
Jonathan, Oxford says...
4:10pm Wed 30 Jan 08
duke, didcot says...
4:15pm Wed 30 Jan 08
Jonathan wrote:funny how nuclear would do exactly the same and generate more power without having lots of blots on the landscape. shame the goverment is only just realising this after many years of dithering..
I would have no problem with wind turbines close to my house. Indeed I think they are quite attractive to look at. If we say no to any on-shore turbines we are making the carbon reductions we have to make that much harder to achieve. It would be nice if we could make the problem of global warming go away by acting as if it did not exist but sadly it doesnt work like that.
Jonathan, Oxford says...
4:38pm Wed 30 Jan 08
duke wrote:There is no evidence that wind turbines kill more than very small numbers of birds. Domestic cats kill vastly more birds than wind turbines would, even if 100% of our electricity were to be wind-generated.
Jonathan wrote: I would have no problem with wind turbines close to my house. Indeed I think they are quite attractive to look at. If we say no to any on-shore turbines we are making the carbon reductions we have to make that much harder to achieve. It would be nice if we could make the problem of global warming go away by acting as if it did not exist but sadly it doesnt work like that.funny how nuclear would do exactly the same and generate more power without having lots of blots on the landscape. shame the goverment is only just realising this after many years of dithering..
Skidmark, The local pub. says...
6:11pm Wed 30 Jan 08
Try spending an evening in the Pub with big Dan.
You will then know about a real problem with wind!
Mr Ison, England says...
6:57pm Wed 30 Jan 08
Mr Ison, England says...
7:01pm Wed 30 Jan 08
Bob, Oxford says...
9:02pm Wed 30 Jan 08
Mr Ison wrote:MR Ison, I've heard they are wanting to build it on your house.... but they are worried your heads going to get in the way
I would choose Kidlington.
Mr Ison, England says...
7:33am Thu 31 Jan 08
Jon, says...
11:43am Thu 31 Jan 08
May I suggest that they are built on Port Meadow then? :D
Mr Ison, England says...
11:47am Thu 31 Jan 08
We at K4R demand incineration and refuse.
Rich, Arizona says...
6:23pm Thu 31 Jan 08
City council leader John Goddard at Horspath sports ground, near one of the potential sites
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Mr Ison, England says...
6:42am Wed 30 Jan 08