WAVENEY residents are being invited to a public meeting that is being called about controversial proposals to build nine wind turbines near Beccles.The planning applications, submitted by Stamford Renewables, have split public opinion, and while many people are in support of the green energy project, others oppose the scheme on grounds of the potential visual and noise impacts.

WAVENEY residents are being invited to a public meeting about proposals to build nine wind turbines near Beccles.

The planning applications, submitted by Stamford Renewables, have split public opinion, and

while many people are in support

of the green energy project, others oppose the scheme on grounds of

the potential visual and noise impacts.

The renewable energy company, whose chief executive is Mike Stamford, is seeking planning permission to build three groups of three turbines at Devonshire Farm and Granary Farm in Ringsfield, and at Laurels Farm in Barsham.

The scale of the project and the vast amount of paperwork involved in the three planning applications has led Beccles Town Council's planning committee to arrange a public meeting and defer its recommendations to Waveney District Council until afterwards.

Committee chairman Alan Thwaites said: "We must give the public a chance to air their views at a public meeting and I intend to invite the people from the Broads Authority, Waveney District Council, Halt (the opposition group against the windfarms) and Mr Stamford, and that meeting must be arranged as soon as possible in a suitable venue."

A Beccles town hall spokesman said the council was working hard to set a date and find a venue large enough for the public meeting, adding that it was likely to take place around the second week of March.

Councillor Brian Woodruff said

the public would be interested

in studying the plans, adding:

"Quite frankly, this is one of the biggest things that has ever happened around here."

He also questioned the format of the applications. "Why have we got three separate planning applications? They are all for the same thing," he said. "The environmental impact will only look at each one; it won't look at the whole thing. I think we should say to Waveney that this should be looked at as one project, not three separate projects."

Members agreed to act quickly, as they must make their recommendations ahead of Waveney's decision, which is targeted for April.