SUE Clarke of Resilience said: "Our four single turbine applications in partnership with each landowner are classed as medium sized at 87m and are each designed to help meet but not exceed the energy demand of the local village community(ie community scale).

"This is the same size as the installed turbine at St Briavels in which we are a partner.

"The environmental impacts of this sized turbine are less than large industrial scale turbines and as single turbine projects they have the advantage that no new pylons or additional infrastructure are required – unlike a wind farm which would have turbines much closer together and therefore greater combined effects.

"There is deliberate misrepresentation from this small but vociferous group of objectors and is characteristic of their underhand approach to try to raise objections to projects which actually have a lot of local benefits and local support. Furthermore there are no other applications along the Severn planned by us.

"We do have two in the Stroud district, but they are well inland (14km) and again single turbine applications nowhere near the estuary and not visible from it! There is a current application for a large turbine (over 120m high and with larger blades and therefore more visual effect) at Sharpness opposite Lydney harbour – this has nothing to do with us although we have also considered the visual impact of this proposal in our assessments.

"For each single turbine in which we are a partner there would be around a £500,000 donation to the local community over the 25 year lifetime. If all of the four projects go ahead this would result in around £2million to help address local needs and support other community groups and initiatives.

"Our aim is not only generating renewable energy locally keeping money in the local economy – to address climate change and UK energy security – but also bringing much needed economic benefits to the Forest of Dean and sharing them more equitably by also creating a mechanism for local people to directly invest.

"This approach has been widely hailed in the national press as a first and the way forward with the St Briavels project gaining positive local and national attention. Most people who listen to the facts rather than scaremongering understand this and support the projects and what we are trying to do.

"Each project will have to meet planning policy requirements in order to be approved – while we think all four have a good chance each will be considered on its own merits. This is not a wind farm and it is certainly not a wind farm by stealth. The four Forest of Dean applications have been public knowledge since last April and have been reported and advertised in the Review as well as at public exhibitions.

"The reason only the Alvington application is in at present is in response to a request from planners due to their current workload. Having said that, information on any combined effects have been volunteered by us in terms of landscape, ecology and noise so the planners do have the full picture, including additional information which is non material to the decision making process.

"What people seem to miss is that by developing independent renewable energy within the UK and locally within the Forest we maintain jobs and benefits here. Germany has confirmed four times as many jobs are created in renewable energy compared with nuclear and coal.

"We are shocked at some of the tactics used by the anti lobby which have been underhand and in some cases would be open to legal challenge – we have as a rule tried to rise above this and focus on addressing the planning requirements, building strength from the support we have received from Foresters – over 89 letters of support for the Alvington application, 39 more than St Briavels!"