Village gears up for windfarm fight

A Norfolk village which thought it had seen the last of plans for a wind-farm on its doorstep is bracing itself for a fight against renewed plans for turbines by turkey giant Bernard Matthews.

A village which thought it had seen the last of plans for a wind-farm on its doorstep is bracing itself for a fight against renewed plans for turbines by turkey giant Bernard Matthews.

Weston Longville, headquarters of Matthews, is one of three villages in Norfolk and Suffolk waiting for more information on the firm's proposals for wind turbines. The other two villages, Holton in Suffolk and North Pickenham, will find out more at exhibitions on the schemes tomorrow.

However, villagers in Weston Longville, where the firm looks set to face the greatest opposition against two proposed 100m turbines, will have to wait another two to three months to find out more.

The council and neighbouring Hockering Parish Council objected to a test mast on the site, Old Airfield in Airfield Road, in 2007. It was given the go-ahead but it was thought the plans had fallen by the wayside.

Ruth Goodall, vice-chairman of Weston Longville Parish Council, said: 'The reaction has been 'oh my god, here we go again'. There are a lot of people in the village who are quite strongly opposed to it on the grounds of siting and the size.

'Also what we do not know is how they fit in with any future plans that the firm might have on the site.'

The land, like the other sites, has turkey sheds on it, but in 2005, plans for 7,000 homes on the site were rejected. Other fears include the impact on the landscape and environment and interference with television and radio signals.