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Wind turbines 'will damage our heritage'
A CONCERNED Sheffield University historian today claimed plans for a giant windfarm could damage South Yorkshire's heritage.
David Hey, Emeritus Professor of Local and Family History, said the scheme at Sheephouse Heights, near Penistone, could spoil "the most dramatic landscape feature in the district".
The site is on a ridge extending from Hartcliffe to Underbank Lane, which gave the nearby town its name.
Prof Hey said: "Pen is a Celtic word used 2,000 years ago by the Ancient Britons to describe a hill or ridge that dominates the landscape. The ridge where it is proposed to erect turbines is quoted in books on the history of the English landscape as a classic example of this ancient term.
"In medieval times it was such a dominant natural feature that the river below it was chosen as the boundary between two enormous Norman lordships, centred on Sheffield and Pontefract.
"People have always recognised the visual importance of this physical barrier that separates communities on the edge of the moors."
Prof Hey said the site is rich in history, having been farmed since records began, 800 years ago, and its beauty is appreciated by local residents and walkers from outside the area. The academic is supporting Protect Sheephouse Heights Action Group, a group of residents from Stocksbridge and Penistone campaigning against the windfarm.
They are also backed by Labour MPs Angela Smith and Mick Clapham, and Conservative prospective Parliamentary candidate for Penistone and Stocksbridge, Dr Spencer Pitfield.
A planning application for the development was submitted to Barnsley Council in April, for the erection of five 410ft wind turbines across the hillside between the Stocksbridge valley and Penistone.
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Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
