OBJECTORS claim plans for a 67ft wind turbine would blight one of Huddersfield’s most picturesque areas.

Farm owner John Firth has applied for permission to install the turbine at Fulstone Hall Farm on Horn Cote Lane near New Mill.

The area, known for its natural beauty, has been used as a backdrop for scenes in sitcom Last of the Summer Wine.

Mr Firth said he wanted to do his bit for the environment – and generate income under a Government scheme to pay people for producing renewable energy.

But his neighbours Norman and Jean Higgs claim the turbine would be a noisy eyesore in a spot designated as a greenbelt conservation area.

Mr Higgs, 61, said: “We are fully aware of the problems with climate change and the need for renewable energy but we have to be very careful where these kind of things are sited because they have a serious visual and noise impact.

“This is being done for commercial reasons and is part of what I call the wind rush – a kind of gold rush but with wind turbines.”

Mr Higgs said the application, produced by wind turbine specialists Earthmill, contained inaccuracies.

It claims the nearest property to the turbine would be 200m away – but Mr Higgs said his house was 100m away and there were another four within 115m.

Mr and Mrs Higgs also believe the turbine would generate more than 45 decibels of noise – the maximum allowable night-time level as defined by the World Health Organisation.

Mrs Higgs, 62, said: “Our village is like a giant amphitheatre. You could almost hold a conversation with someone on the other side. We wouldn’t be able to have the windows open in the summer because of the noise.”

The couple also claimed the official designs showing the scale of the turbine underestimated its size – and have commissioned a graphic designer to show its true height.

Pauline Iredale, who has lived in Fulstone for about 20 years, is also objecting to the plan.

She said: “I’m not totally opposed to wind turbines but I don’t believe they should be put in places that are intrusive.

“This is one of the nicest areas in Huddersfield and is used by lots of people for horse riding and walking. I don’t want to see these turbines being put up all around us.”

Nigel Stocks, 61, has lived in Fulstone for 38 years. He said: “If this proposal is passed, it opens the floodgates for any number of people to do the same thing. If they multiply, they will be a complete blot on the landscape.”

Mr Firth, 39, admitted the application was partly a commercial decision. The turbine, which would cost £45,000 to install, would pay for itself through savings on energy bills within about six years.

It could then generate about £9,000 a year thanks to the Government’s feed-in tariff, also known as the clean energy cashback scheme.

Mr Firth, a chartered surveyor, said: “I have lived here my whole life, I work for a local firm and I have worked with farmers all that time.

“People must understand what hard work maintaining a farm is and what little returns there are. The Government is telling us to diversify.

“I’m not belittling the intrusion the turbine will create, but we are being very careful about where it is sited.

“It really ticks me off that we are being seen as environmental vandals. I wouldn’t do anything that would ruin our landscape.

“If there was any real, tangible threat to that I wouldn’t be doing this.

“I’m seeking to keep my family where it is, keep our farm going and do my bit for the environment.”