A LOCAL artist has produced a painting which will be used in a poster and leaflet campaign organised by a group opposing plans for 12 wind turbines on land near Beccles.

A LOCAL artist has produced a painting which will be used in a poster and leaflet campaign organised by a group opposing plans for 12 wind turbines on land near Beccles.

The painting by Worlingham resident Henry Hunter shows the town from the Morrison's roundabout and illustrates how Beccles might appear if the proposal gets the go-ahead.

Mr Hunter said: “I was glad to accept this commission. I enjoy living in Beccles; it is such a pretty town and it would be such a pity if it is disfigured by these turbines.”

Philip Johnson, a spokesman for HALT, a campaign group set up to oppose the development, said the poster and leaflet campaign would cover Beccles and surrounding villages.

He said: “It is surprising how many local residents have either not heard of this proposal or do not realise how large these industrial wind turbines are. Each one is four times the height of Beccles church tower. They will have a huge visual impact on the town”.

Earlier this year nearly 100 residents attended a meeting at Ringsfield Village Hall to voice anger and concern at the plans which could see four groups of three turbines on land in the parishes of Ringsfield, Weston, Barsham and Shipmeadow.

The turbines are the idea of Beccles mother-of-two Hannah Blowers and would be put up by Stamford Renewables.

Mike Stamford, chief executive of Stamford Renewables, said a planning application for the scheme is likely to be submitted in July.

He added that architects would be taking high-quality photos and using global positioning technology to produce visualisations of how the turbines would look.