Plans submitted to extend lifespan of Marr Wind Farm

Energy firm Banks Renewables has submitted an application to Doncaster Council to extend the permitted lifespan of the Marr Wind Farm to the west of the city.

The farm first opened in 2012 with permission to run for 25 years, however the firm now hopes to add a further 15 to its operation.

It is located to the west of Doncaster near junction 37 of the A1(M).

Banks representatives stated that regular maintenance work and ongoing efficient performance means that the site could comfortably stay open and provide energy for longer.

There are no planned changes or developments to the site, which currently has four turbines, along with the application.

In the last financial year the farm generated over 17,000 MWh of renewable electricity, which is enough to meet the requirements of around 5,700 homes.

By meeting these requirements it displaced over 3,600 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the electricity supply network.

Along with the development, Banks introduced the Marr Wind Farm Benefits Fund, which supports local community and environmental projects.

The firm is currently encouraging people to apply for grants from the fund of up to £3,000 in the face of the cost-of-living crisis.

Earlier this year it relaxed the criteria for applications.

The farm currently generates around £9,000 a year towards the fund.

Lewis Stokes, senior community relations manager at the Banks Group, says: “The Marr Wind Farm has been generating significant amounts of clean green electricity for more than a decade and our aim is to maximise the environmental, energy security and social benefits that it can deliver, a process which extending its permitted lifespan would allow us to do.

“Many local communities have benefited from revenues generated by the wind farm and extending its lifespans would mean even more capital would be available to support projects across the surrounding area.

“As part of our development with care approach, we’ve recently held discussions with local residents and councillors about the proposals through our wind farm liaison committee, which was set up to discuss any matters associated with the wind farm, and we’ll continue to keep the local community informed as things progress.

“Generating as much of the energy that we all use via renewables is a crucial part of the UK’s journey towards its Net Zero targets and will enable the country to decarbonise its power supply and achieve its climate change targets more quickly than would otherwise be possible.

“We therefore hope that Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council will allow us to extend the contribution that the Marr Wind Farm makes to meeting our nation’s energy needs when it comes to consider our plans.”

Banks Renewables owns and operates four wind farms across Yorkshire, including Penny Hill near Sheffield, Hook Moor to the east of Leeds and Hazlehead near Barnsley.

The four farms combined generated enough electricity to power 29,000 homes annually last year.

The application is due to be considered by the Doncaster Council some time in the early new year.