Southern campaign group set up over wind farm concerns

The site at Earystane and Scards has greater wind speeds than the alternative in the north

A campaign group has been set up to share concerns over proposals for an onshore wind farm in the south of the Isle of Man.

Chairman of Manx Utilities Tim Crookall last week told Tynwald two sites were being considered to produce 20 megawatts of energy by the end of 2026.

That included Earystane and Scards, which he conceded would cause concerns.

Southern resident Kirrie Jenkins has set up the new group for people in the area to share their views on the plans.

An alternative site at Sulby and Druidale in the north has also been identified.

The two possible sites have been identified as part of a drive to produce 75% of Manx electricity through solar and onshore wind by 2026, which was approved by Tynwald in February.

'Polarising'

Ms Jenkins told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the private group, Earystane and Scards Windfarm Community Action Group, was created to allow people to discuss plans in a "safe space" where conversations would not be shared publicly.

She said she had invited people living in the two-mile radius of the proposed area to join the group as she was "fully aware of the polarising nature of windfarms".

She said: "The residents and interested parties need evidence based information so that they can draw their own conclusions on what's right for their own neighbourhood."

Ms Jenkins said the proposed site was an "environmentally important habitat" with "species that have the highest level of international protection".

She called for more information about the potential "transportation, engineering and construction of the infrastructure" as soon as possible.

The government-owned energy firm previously said full environmental impact surveys would be carried out and the public would be consulted as part of the process of progressing the project.

The Isle of Man government has a commitment to decarbonising the island's electricity supply by 2030.