A STORM has blown up over a farm’s application to install a wind turbine in the countryside.

Councillors will vote next week on whether to grant planning permission for a 500kW turbine in countryside at Dene Leazes Farm, between Peterlee and the village of Hesleden.

The application is for a single turbine, which would be just under 51-metres to its hub and 78-metres to its tip, along with associated equipment and infrastructure which would generate electricity to power the 400-acre farm for the next 25 years.

Applicants say the turbine would cut the carbon footprint of the mixed-use farm, which supplies businesses including Sainsburys and McDonalds, and improve its financial position.

The farm is home to 340 acres of wheat, barley and oilseed rape and a flock of 17,000 free range hens, producing 5.8 million eggs a year.

It has already introduced a number of measures to cut its rising electricity bill, including low-power lighting and the installation of eight solar panels.

In a statement submitted to the council as part of the application, the company said: “The turbine will secure an additional, significant, reduction in carbon footprint by generating our own electricity and giving us a better base to continue to grow our business”.

More than 250 letters supporting the application have been submitted to the council and the bid also has the backing of MP Grahame Morris.

However, both Castle Eden Parish Council and Monk Hesleden Parish Council have tabled objections to the scheme, citing the cumulative impact of wind turbines on the area, with the later highlighting fears over the “overbearing and oppressive impact for the local residents”.

Durham Tees Valley Airport also has concerns over the proposal, due to the potential impact on its radar, although a similar objection from the Ministry of Defence was subsequently withdrawn.

Another 200 letters of objection have been submitted against the plan, including Castle Eden Residents’ Association, the National Farmers’ Union and the Campaign to Protect Rural England, while local councillors Rob Crute and Lynn Pounder are also objecting.

Durham County Council’s own Design and Conservation team have raised objections that the turbine would be visible from the Grade II-listed Hardwicke Hall Manor Hotel, which is around 700-metres away, while residents have also raised fears about the impact on Castle Eden Dene and the historic Church of St Mary at Easington, a Grade I-listed building.

Planning officers have recommended that the application be approved, subject to a string of conditions, and members of Durham County Council’s County Planning Committee will decide the application on Wednesday (September 2).