ENERGY bosses who want to build a 410ft wind turbine in Horspath have defended the plans.

Partnerships for Renewables (PfR) was criticised by villagers who claim the structure will tower over their homes and dominate the area. More than 100 people packed into the village hall last week to show their opposition to the scheme.

But PfR regional manager Tony Duffin said the area was an “appropriate site”.

He said: “We appreciate the concerns of local residents and will continue to do all we can to work with the local community and alleviate any concerns.

“Following all our environmental and technical studies to date, we remain confident that this is an appropriately sited turbine that will not have any significant adverse affects on the local residents, environment or habitat.

“This site was carefully selected following an in-depth selection process involving more than 1,000 parcels of Oxford City Council-owned land.

“In terms of concerns over energy efficiency, wind data collected from equipment near the site confirms our predictions so far for the energy generation expectations of the turbine, but once the full height monitoring mast is in-situ, we will be able to gather more accurate data. We are aiming to submit the planning application for the temporary monitoring mast very shortly.”