I need to understand the visual impact of the wind turbine on the area. I had no idea the turbine was 150 metres high.

At this stage a single turbine is proposed, being 130 metres to the central hub. The tips of the three-blade rotor will rise to 200 metres in height. A photomontage of the completed site from Red Bridge, Eyes Lane, can be seen below (coming soon).

Seeing what the proposed solar structures would look like on a map or the location of the 80 acres would be helpful.

A plan showing the solar panels and wind turbine can be seen at this link

The solar panels face west and east, rather than the usual south-facing arrangement, as this enables more sunlight to be captured throughout the day and also spreads the intensity across the whole day, rather than concentrating it in the middle of the day.

Why is the proposed wind turbine located at Asland Park and not offshore or in another location?

To provide low-cost electricity directly to the GA Pet Food factory and the parish, the wind turbine needs to be connected via a private wire, so that it does not suffer from transmission losses or incur the usage costs of the National Grid, which also has limited capacity.

How tall will the turbine be?

The proposed wind turbine, with a maximum rated output of 4.2 megawatts, will have a rotor diameter of 138 metres. The tower will be 130 metres high. The tip of the blades will reach a height of 200 metres. For comparison, the wind turbines on Mawdesley Moss are 55 metres high.

Will the wind turbine be noisy and what will the Asland Walks Energy Park look like?

The noise generated by the wind turbine, when measured from a distance of 600 metres, is under 35 dB. To give a comparable example, a typical library or bird call is generally around 44 dB. All residential properties are at least 600 metres away from the turbine.

The photomontage here (coming soon) shows a view of the completed Asland Walks Energy Park from Red Bridge looking north in 2038. The tree planting undertaken during the spring of 2023 will screen most of the solar panels once established, as shown in the photomontage.

The benefit to the parish and the certainty of that benefit is not explained simply and clearly.

As Bretherton is fed from two electrical networks, it will require a complex battery system and electrical infrastructure to feed the whole of Bretherton, which will take time to install.

When the battery system does not have sufficient power, electrical energy will be provided by the Grid, as it currently is. The appointed electricity supplier will charge the current rate for energy taken from the Grid, and a lower rate for energy generated at Asland Walks that is fed into the Grid via the batteries.

The whole project will be administered by Energy Local Bretherton, a community-owned and community-managed company that is supported by the national organisation Energy Local, which currently has 21 other similar schemes at different stages of development. However, this will be their largest scheme to date.

When the site is fully operational, if all of the electricity is sold to the Grid (or to GA Pet Food), it is estimated to generate £101,000 per year in income. If residents receive all of this electrical power directly, it will displace electrical costs of between £486,000 and £572,000 per year for residents of Bretherton, which is approximately £2,000 per person, depending on the cost of electricity, taxes, and levies at the time. The wind turbine and solar panels will last for approximately 25 years, after which the planning permission will require their complete removal.

The information provided is scant and, whilst the solar seems acceptable, a 150 metre turbine is huge. CGI, drawings, plans, elevations

As part of the culture and heritage assessments being undertaken, technically detailed photomontages showing the visual appearance of the Asland Walks Energy Park and its impact on listed heritage properties will be prepared and circulated. The photomontage currently on the website is an artistic impression, not a fully compliant CGI illustration due to the time available, but a full CGI version will be completed in the near future.

The Energy Local proposal seems vague. How will the community energy partnership work? Which homes will be excluded?

Energy Local have produced a document setting out how the scheme will work. See this link (coming soon).

We are in support of the scheme in principle, but for solar power, not onshore wind, which will be a blight on our community and eyeline. Wind power is a great solution but should be offshore or in areas of low human and bird population.

Unfortunately, in Lancashire the sun does not regularly shine. However, the wind is more reliable and is generally available throughout the day and night. As part of the site assessment, the available wind speed and direction will be monitored for at least two years in order to assess fully what the options are in terms of the size and dimensions of the wind turbine.

How would you supply everyone in the village? There is more than one electricity power source. Will it include homes on the outskirts?

The Bretherton electrical network is fed primarily by two main distribution points, being Bretherton North (south of North Road) and Bretherton South (behind the school on South Road). A complex battery system and electrical infrastructure is required at each point to feed the vast majority of homes throughout Bretherton. The required detail is being discussed and is to be confirmed with ENWL.

The electricity from Asland Walks will feed directly into the substations from the battery system. Based on historical electrical consumption and anticipated future electrical demand, balancing equipment will release the estimated amount of electrical power that will be consumed by Bretherton residents and members of the scheme onto the distribution network. In this way, the electrical network will contain the required electricity to provide Energy Local Bretherton members with the energy they need to use.

People on the outskirts of the village are usually ignored

It is certainly not the intention to ignore people on the outskirts of Bretherton village. As far as practical, the opportunity will be made available to all, and where this is not practical, the intention would be to compensate those residents in some way, so that all residents have the opportunity to join the scheme if they wish.

What is the cost to install this and how long will it take to pay off the capital? What are the running costs and who is responsible for maintenance and operation?

In terms of the Asland Walks Energy Park, GA Pet Food will provide the wind turbine and solar panels, which are likely to cost approximately £30 million. To enable residents to use the electricity generated themselves, they will be required to be part of a battery system to provide the necessary separation between the point of generation and the Grid.

How would those who cannot take part be compensated?

There are two residential properties, Red Bridge Farm and Barrowford House, that are not connected to the Bretherton electrical supply network. It is therefore proposed that they would receive a direct link from the Asland Walks Energy Park so that they can take part in the scheme in a similar manner.

At this stage, we are not aware of any other residents who cannot receive electrical energy and be part of the scheme. If there are such residents, the community company would seek to compensate them, so that they receive a similar benefit as if they were able to join the scheme.

What is the long-term security of the enterprise?

In terms of long-term security, the operation and use of the park is protected by a Section 106 legal agreement, established as part of the planning permission granted between Chorley Council and the landowner. This legal agreement binds the landowner and the operator who uses the equipment to contribute 5 percent of the generation to residents of Bretherton.

Therefore, if GA Pet Food were to cease trading, any subsequent owner of Asland Walks Energy Park would remain legally bound to provide 5 percent of the electricity generated to the community enterprise. If electrical generation were to cease entirely, the legal agreement would require the removal of the wind turbine and the solar panels.

Solar field – would it be fenced off? How would it affect wildlife? How might it affect surface water drainage?

Yes. The solar panels will be fenced, as theft of the panels is a major concern. In the most vulnerable areas, a ditch and tree planting will help limit and prevent unauthorised access. However, the current footpath along the River Douglas and the towpath along the canal will be widened to provide better access and to encourage wildlife to flourish.

The area between the solar panels will be sown to grass and grazed by sheep, providing a much-improved wildlife habitat compared with the current arable field. In addition, the landscape planting of approximately 25,000 woodland trees will assist in creating an improved level of biodiversity.

The open ditches created to restrict access will also improve surface water drainage, supporting the existing underground field drainage.

Community enterprise – what are the costs?

As GA Pet Food is providing 5 percent of the electricity generated at no cost to the community enterprise, which can either be sold or used by residents, there is no direct cost to the community enterprise for this electricity.

It needs a definitive proposal with approximate costs. How will the cost be funded and what would be the timescale for installation? What are the projections for return of energy after all these overheads are taken into account?

The previous questions have addressed the cost and how the community enterprise is funded. Set out below is the proposed timescale.Potential timing and phasing of the scheme:

• Tree Planting: Year 1 and Year 2
• TTwo-year Bird Study and Wind Speed Monitoring: Year 2
• Pre-Application: Year 2/li>
• Planning Application: Year 3
• Planning Approval and Section 106 Agreement: Year 4
• Wind Turbine Construction: Year 5
• Phase 1 PV: Year 8/li>
• Phase 2 PV and Phase 1 of BESS: Year 10
• Phase 3 PV and Phase 2 of BESS: Year 12
• Phase 4 PV and Phase 3 of BESS: Year 14

As mentioned previously, the estimated cost is approximately £30 million. GA Pet Food proposes to phase the build in order to fund the development.

I doubt the park would be an attractive place to visit

Part of the tree planting has recently been undertaken, and it is now possible to envisage how the wide open space between the canal and the woodland planting will improve public access and the ambience of the canal. This wide margin will be mown and maintained along both the canal and the riverbank, giving space for public recreation. Previously, the towpath and the footpath along the riverbank were limited to almost single-file access, with the remaining field being intensively farmed.

In addition, a Visitor Interpretation Centre will allow visitors to see, learn, and understand how electrical energy has been and is being generated from the Asland Walks Energy Park, together with 360-degree views from the potential 130 metre hub of the wind turbine.

It would be good to have an understanding of the actual extent of public access (Asland Walk)

The website www.brethertonenergy.co.uk shows the detailed planting scheme and the exact widths involved. Generally, the access along the towpath will be widened to 8 metres from the canal bank to provide more space for public use, with a further 11 metre landscaped planting strip for approximately half the length of the canal.

Likewise, along the western bank of the River Douglas, the footpath will be at least 8 metres wide, running along the top of the embankment, with woodland planting and a hedge to the west to limit direct views of the solar panels when walking along the footpath.

A visitor interpretation hut will be placed at the northern end of Asland Walks. This will give full details of the site’s history, live reporting of the energy being generated, and 360° views from the hub of the wind turbine, giving views over the south-west Lancashire plain.