Villagers are set for another wind turbine battle just weeks after they blew one away.

Birdsedge residents have been taken aback after a plan for a 220ft tall turbine was revealed just four weeks after a five year battle to block four 330ft ones was won.

The plan has been lodged by Edwin Whitaker, whose farm is roughly half-a-mile south of the village off Windmill Lane.

He says the scheme will protect him from future energy price hikes and allow the cattle and horse breeding farm to diversify into small scale renewable energy generation as a source of income.

Mr Whitaker told the Examiner he was aware of the Birdsedge protest but said his scheme was much smaller.

He said: “As each planning application is judged on its merits, we hope the Kirklees planners recognise the difference in size, scale and make an appropriate judgement.”

Documents submitted to Kirklees reveal there are already 47 wind turbine sites in the Denby Dale and Dearne Valley region with 12 more currently being considered by planners.

Only three current sites are taller than Mr Whitaker’s plan and all are industrial scale wind farms; Blackstone Edge, Spicer Hill and Hazlehead.

If given the green light it would be the tallest single turbine in the area.

The plan has been condemned by members of BOLT (Birdsedge Opposed to Large Turbines) who were only celebrating their campaign victory at the end of last month.

Spokesman, Matt Wright, said: “BOLT and local residents fought a long and hard battle against a private developer who failed to engage and consult adequately.

“The council through good democratic process heard what local residents said, not just from Birdsedge but the surrounding villages and rejected it on impact on greenbelt, visual amenity and cumulative effect.

“In the light of that it seems hard to imagine why an application for anything other than a small domestic wind turbine would be passed in the local area.”

BOLT supporter Steve Ashley said he thought wind turbine companies would now try to get larger groups of smaller turbines through.

He said: “Now we’ve blown the big one out of the water I think there will be a host of applications for smaller turbines.

“But I think this is pushing it.

“We’re not inclined to accommodate something of that size.

“The people who own the land already have several smaller turbines on there to power the farm so it seems this is just to make money.”

Denby Dale Tory, Clr Jim Dodds, said he was disappointed to see another large turbine plan after such opposition to previous proposals.

He said: “I can accept the need for renewable energy but the number of applications that are being submitted in the Denby Dale ward area is unacceptable.

“If we are not careful we will be inundated with unsightly turbines that will have an adverse impact on residents and the area we live.

“On June 6 the Government brought out new guidelines on wind turbine applications, giving more emphasis to visual impact and the views of local residents and in my view, we must adhere to to this.”

Councillors Elaine Ward and Graham Turner are unable to comment as they sit on Kirklees Heavy Woollen planning sub-committee.