CONTROVERSIAL proposals to construct a gas-fired power station on the edge of a South Lakeland village has sparked outrage as opponents claim it will be visible in the countryside for miles around.

The eight-metre high building, which will burn fossil fuels and include 11, seven metre high chimneys, will be built on land close to the current substation at Old Hutton, near Kendal, should it get planning consent.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Residents are forming an action group to fight the plans for the 80m by 20m power station, which have been lodged with South Lakeland District Council by London company Statera Energy.

Mike Horsfall, who lives at Eskrigg End, which would be 550 metres away from the plant, said: "This will be visually horrendous for the area. Not just for Old Hutton; you will be able to see it from Scout Scar, the Howgills and the M6 motorway.

"Who will want to come to the area and see a power station pumping stuff into the air. They have done these tests saying it will be environmentally friendly, but there is nothing that pumps these gasses out into the atmosphere there at the moment.

"It is only going to exasperate any problems with air quality. It certainly won't improve things.

"We've already had a huge solar farm here, the Lambrigg wind farm and the extension of the 400KV substation. This new build will last six to 12 months. One field will be turned into a car park and there will be 30 to 40 heavy goods vehicles coming through every day, using unsuitable lanes.

"We had no notification of the planning and we consider ourselves to be neighbours to the development. We are the nearest people to something of that magnitude.

"We understand the need for plants like this, but this is not even using renewable energy. It is burning fossil fuel.

"We are a small rural community and we need help. The impact is not just on us. The visual impact will damage the Lake District as well. Kendal is supposed to be the gateway to the Lake District.

"We have been subject to so much building in one community, it is ridiculous."

The power station will be used by the National Grid as a 'peaking plant' to cope with surges in demand for power. Alongside it will be built a battery storage facility.

John Heap, who also lives at Eskrigg End, said: "I think the health risk of nitrous dioxide poisoning is far too great. Not enough research is being done into it by the company who put the plans in.

"I am in favour of the formation of the action group, and I will be on it.

"It is difficult to say if the group will be successful, but I know that the company concerned here had a similar proposal in Stockton and after public lobbying they withdrew the power station plans and just had the battery storage."

Andrew Troup, of Statera Energy, explained that the two aspects of the proposal were required by the National Grid in order to store power that was currently being generated in surplus, and to provide emergency back-up.

It will enable the National Grid to satisfy peak demand for voltage to ensure the grid operates within the correct frequency band of around 50Hz - something the National Grid is struggling to do with current facilities.

Mr Troup said: "This system needs to be placed near a crucial substation, and Old Hutton is one of those. From our point of view it needs to be right next to the substation.

"There is no point in placing it in a field far away from a substation. The services we can provide from Old Hutton are what National Grid needs.

"It is not an out and out power plant. It won't be used all that much. Peak plants are used when there is a real problem.

"The battery will enable further deployment of renewable energy facilities in the country in the future. At the moment National Grid are paying wind farms to stop producing power because there is too much to store. With more batteries we can store this power.

"The building will also be well concealed. If you walk around and try hard you might find a few places where you can see the stack, and if it is operating in the day and the air temperature is below 10 celcius you might see some water vapour.

"The only emission is nitrous oxide and that is well controlled by the Environment Agency. It won't be contributing to the background nitrous oxide levels at all.

"I have been in this field for 35 years and I am sensitive to these situations. I know in that area they have had a solar farm and turbines on the hills. I think our plans are fairly robust."

Conservation campaign group Friends of the Lake District has also voiced concern over the visual impact of the development.

A spokesperson for the group said: "We are currently assessing both applications. We are particularly concerned regarding the cumulative impacts of these developments with existing infrastructure adjacent to the site.

"At this early stage of assessment we are concerned regarding potential detrimental landscape and visual impacts particularly from key viewpoints such as the Helm."

SLDC has received a number of objections to the proposals already but a spokesman said it was not able to comment on ongoing planning applications.

Old Hutton Parish Council chairman Stephen Capstick said a public meeting with New Hutton Parish Council would take place on Wednesday May 24 at the Public Hall.

Statera Energy will also be consulting with the public at meetings to be held on June 6 and 7.