A wind farm in South Cumbria wants to operate for an extra 15 years.
The six-turbine Armistead farm, east of the M6 between junctions 36 and 37, has been operational since 2013 and was originally given permission to run for 25 years.
Now operators Banks Renewables wants to extend its lifespan to 40 years. The firm said: “No other aspects of the wind farm would change as part of the planning
application, no new turbines are being planned and all the existing planning conditions under which it operates, including those which protect the residential amenity of local residents, would remain unaltered.”
The Armistead wind farm generated more than 25,000 MWh of green electricity during Banks Renewables’ last financial year, enough to meet the annual electrical requirements of over 8,000 homes, displacing over 5,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the electricity supply network, the firm said.
It also generates almost £14,000 every year for the Armistead Wind Farm Benefits Fund, which supports local community and environmental projects
put forward by voluntary groups and charities.
Previous grant recipients have included Mansergh Parish Meeting, Kirkby Lonsdale RUFC, Preston Patrick Memorial Hall, St John the Baptist Church in Old Hutton and New Hutton Institute.
Lewis Stokes, senior community relations manager at the Banks Group, said: “The Armistead wind farm is coming up to its 10th anniversary and is continuing to generate significant amounts of clean green electricity supporting our contribution to the UK’s crucial journey towards its Net Zero targets.
“Our aim is to maximise the environmental, energy security and social benefits that can be delivered through Armistead, a process which extending its permitted lifespan by a further 15 years would allow us to do.
“Many organisations across local communities have benefited from revenues generated by the wind farm and extending its lifespan would enable us to further increase the positive impact it has on the facilities and resources available for local people to enjoy.”
It will apply to South Lakeland District Council for the extension.
