Josef Ransley, who has a five-acre smallholding at Scratching Lane, has applied to Chichester District Council for permission for a turbine with a rotor diameter of 5.4m which will be mounted on a 15m steel mast.

He proposes to site it in a field about 120m away from the nearest property.

Mr Ransley, whose wife Sue is leading the project to revive a village shop in Kirdford, said he had spoken to four of his neighbours about his plan.

"Three were very encouraging and one is a bit undecided," he said.

"The application I have made is for a small five-kilowatt turbine – it is about the smallest you can put on a mast.

"But the energy will be sufficient to provide us with all the electricity we use in the house and outbuildings, with a little bit over to sell back to the National Grid."

Kirdford farmer Henry Nicholls recently won consent from the council for a single turbine on his land.

Mr Ransley reckons that with electricity at current prices, it will take seven years for him to get a return on his investment.

"But my guess is that prices are only going to go upwards and possibly I will get a payback in five years or less," he said.

He has even mooted that he may try to involve other residents of Kirdford in using windpower to generate enough electricity for the whole village.

"I might investigate how it could be structured on a community-wide basis," he said.



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