RSS Feed

Related Articles

Related Categories

Barratt plans green energy for Cippenham

30th June 2008 Print
Barratt Southern Counties has applied to Slough Borough Council for permission to erect a three megawatt wind turbine at Cippenham to help meet the electricity needs of 1,500 homes in the Cippenham and Slough area.

As one of the UK's leading housebuilders, Barratt is a company which champions sustainable, energy-efficient development in all its forms. 85% of the company's recent developments have been on brownfield land in urban areas and in 2006 the company completed a unique ‘eco-village' of new homes, packed with the latest in energy efficient and ‘green' technologies at Chorley in Lancashire. This year, the company has unveiled the zero-carbon Barratt Green House, the first by a mainstream builder to achieve the Treasury's criteria for zero stamp duty, which meets the highest level six of the Government's Code for sustainable Homes.

The provision of a wind turbine at Cippenham demonstrates the commitment Barratt is making to energy efficiency and sustainable development. It will be sited on land between Richards Way and the M4 and will not significantly affect any protected landscapes such as Windsor town, Windsor Great Park or the River Thames.

This ‘green' electricity will be available to local consumers at the same price as electricity generated from conventional polluting sources. The turbine will contribute to increased security and reliability of electricity supply in Slough and the surrounding area and help to reduce the possibility of local grid failure. Power generation close to the point of use also means less electricity is lost in transmission over long distances.

4,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide, over 50 tonnes of sulphur dioxide and over 16 tonnes of nitrogen oxide will be saved, compared with similar power output from conventional fossil fuel burning power stations. This is equivalent to taking 1,000 family-sized cars off the road. Overall it will make a significant contribution (over 7%) to the 2010 wind energy target for the Thames Valley sub-region and help to improve air quality, reduce fossil fuel emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change.

As part of the proposal Barratt has offered to install a display console at Western House Primary School which will display real-time information on wind speed, wind direction and electricity output from the turbine. This will be used as an educational resource when discussing climate change and renewable energy issues.

An exhibition explaining the proposed Barratt wind turbine will be held at Eton Green Marketing Suite, Richards Way, Cippenham, SL1 5EU on Saturday 5th 2pm-6pm; Sunday 6th July 12pm-5pm and Monday 7th July 6pm-9pm.

Alternatively, comments on the proposal can be directed to the Head of Planning, Slough Borough Council, Town Hall, Bath Road, Slough SL1 3UQ or to cippenhamwindturbine@barratthomes.co.uk. Rippon Development Services has prepared the wind turbine proposal on behalf of Barratt Southern Counties.