THE first turbine blades set to power a new £17.5m wind farm are due to arrive in the North-East this week, with constructors expecting the farm to be fully functional by the New Year.

Six turbines – each standing just 19 metres shorter than two York Minsters stacked on top of each other – will be erected at the multi-million pound site on the outskirts of Darlington this autumn.

Land between the villages of Barmpton and Little Stainton, three miles east of the A1(M), will form the Moor House wind farm which approved by Darlington Borough Council in 2011.

Large turbine components will be delivered to the site from Teesport, before being transported along the A66 and the A1150 at Great Burdon, leading to the Bishopton Lane site.

The blades and hubs are due to arrive on Wednesday (August 30), with tower sections following next week.

A spokesman for constructors, The Banks Group, said: “Deliveries are being organised outside busy periods to minimise delays to road local users, and will continue until mid-September.

“Construction of the first turbine is set to begin during the week commencing, Monday September 4.

“Testing and commissioning work will follow once all the turbines are in place, and the scheme remains on schedule to start generating clean green energy early in the New Year.”

Farmer Robert Ord, who lives in Brafferton, near Darlington, has campaigned against the Moor House development for eight years.

He revealed his concerns earlier this year, claiming that from his farm with views of the area for 40-miles in each direction, he expects to see a “wall of wind farms” across the landscape.

The Banks Group have said that the County Durham-headquartered group will set aside £750,000 to benefit community groups and projects surrounding the development, allocated annually in £15,000 instalments.

A further one-off £50,000 grant will also be ring-fenced for energy efficiency and micro-renewable projects in areas surrounding Moor House.

Lewis Stokes, community relations manager at The Banks Group, said: “The Moor House site is now fully prepared for the start of construction work, and we're excited at the prospect of seeing the turbines rise from the ground.

“Our delivery schedule is being timed to minimise any local traffic disruption, and we are working closely with the local authorities, our contractors, the police, the Moor House community liaison committee and people living in the immediate vicinity to ensure everything is done with maximum efficiency.

“The Moor House wind farm is bringing direct employment, economic and supply chain benefits to the local area, and will also have a substantial long-term impact on the facilities available for local people through the community fund linked to the clean, green electricity that it generates.”