OPPONENTS of a proposed 77-metre wind turbine near Cannington hope they have done enough to persuade planners to throw out the scheme – as a consultation draws to a close tomorrow.

More than 100 people have written letters to Sedgemoor District Council, with the vast majority in opposition to the Castle Hill Quarry Company’s plans for a turbine north of the quarry at Chads Hill, which would help meet its energy needs.

While the majority of letters have come from people living near the proposed turbine, in Cannington and Combwich, plenty more have also been sent in from people across the country, from as far as Wales and Yorkshire.

Lucy Camus, who lives in a village in East Yorkshire, wrote: “As a regular visitor to Combwich in Somerset I was appalled to discover that there are imminent plans to build a wind turbine within the Somerset Levels.”

She added: “I am concerned that not only will the turbine be an unsightly intrusion into this landscape, but the ecology of the area will also be affected, resulting in a reduction of wildlife.”

Layne Wilson, from Exeter, said she had been visiting friends in the area for 15 years. She wrote: “When I come up from Exeter, I leave the hustle, bustle and noise behind and enjoy the silence of this part of the country, please don’t allow it to be spoilt.”

Richard Archer, Somerset and Severn Estuary conservation officer for the RSPB, said the charity was concerned about “potential collision risk impacts on waterbirds moving between the Somerset Levels and Moors and Severn Estuary Special Protection Areas”.

Campaign group ACT – Against Castle Hill Turbine – said the scheme, when combined with infrastructure works connected to Hinkley Point C, would also place “too great a burden on local people and road systems”.

John Dupre, project development manager, said the turbine would power the equivalent of 224 homes and help to secure the quarry’s future, thereby securing local jobs and boosting the economy.

He said residents’ views had been considered, and the turbine height had been reduced from 102 metres following feedback from villagers.