A NEW plan for a wind turbine at Nurshill Farm, on the outskirts of Lydney, are about to run into opposition from a community group who successfully beat off a similar scheme two years ago.

Ahead of a meeting planned for later this week, members of the Ned's Top Residents' Action Group say they are shocked and disappointed at the proposal.

A spokesperson said: "We will fight this blight on the landscape. Our petition from two years ago, signed by 450 local people, called for the council to support the objections of residents to siting wind turbines anywhere in North Lydney so we hope we will have the support of councillors. We are encouraged about the decision they took about the Coleford turbine which showed common sense."

Former district councillor, Alan Preest, a leading objector to the previous scheme, said he was dismayed at the recent announcement by a renewable energy company to erect four large turbines on the Forest side of the Severn estuary.

He said he was disappointed to discover the district council had yet to develop a policy to better manage development of renewable energy as it had promised to do when he had been a councillor.

Mr Preest said wind turbines made only a small contribution to the energy picture and "should be out at sea."

"The town and district council face a huge challenge to provide schools, health services and infrastructure to accommodate all the new homes being built around Lydney. With this development there will be nothing to welcome anybody, just the sight of a massive wind turbine. One of the greatest assets of Lydney is the quality of life and messing up our surroundings with wind turbines will destroy that," he said.

The company behind the schemes, The Resilience Centre Ltd, of Woodside, Woolaston, say the community investment scheme for the St Briavels wind turbine was launched last Saturday. There had been considerable local interest with 400 people already signed up.

A spokesman said: "We have also had an overwhelmingly positive response to our public exhibitions for the proposals for similar community scale wind turbine projects at Lydney, Alvington and Woolaston. We have another public exhibition at Lydney Rugby Club this Saturday for the Nurshill Farm, Lydney, project and this Sunday we have an exhibition for the Severndale Community Scale Wind Turbine proposed at Tidenham."

•Resilience also say they are planning an announcement on the Lydney hydro scheme project for the Midcounties Co-op including submission of a planning application in the near future.