COMMUNICATIONS giant BT has announced plans to build a wind farm in a picturesque Suffolk village.

The company has taken the first steps towards creating a six-turbine facility in Clare, near Sudbury as part of its Wind for Change programme, which is aimed at meeting a quarter of its electricity needs through on-shore wind power.

Peter McCarthy-Ward, BT’s regional director for the East of England, said: “BT is committed to increasing the amount of electricity it purchases from renewable sources and to safeguarding its own future power supplies.

“We are an environmentally and socially responsible company and will engage and consult local communities and other organisations throughout the planning process.

“We can confirm that land south of Chilton Street and to the north of the A1092 between Stoke by Clare and Clare has been identified as a potential location for a wind power development, comprising up to six wind turbines.

“We are at an early stage in the process and will provide further information to the local community as things progress.

“Today marks the beginning of that process. To help assess the suitability of the site from a wind energy perspective, BT has submitted an anemometer mast planning application (often known as a “met mast”) to St. Edmundsbury Borough Council along with a scoping report outlining how the company would approach the process of carrying out the required environmental and community assessments before considering the submission of a formal wind turbine planning application.”

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