GARY and Annie Loch, of Ty Parke Farm Camping, advertise their secluded and peaceful site with the words: “Hidden away in the little hamlet of Llanreithan, near to St Davids, and close to the rugged north-west coast is our quiet, secluded camping and yurt farm. The campsite is at the end of our long private lane, completely away from any roads. The sky is big, the sunsets are amazing and the night times very dark – this is a wonderful place for star-gazing!” If planning officers have their way, however, the peace and seclusion offered by the site stands to be shattered by the erection of a 120 feet high wind turbine just 400 yards away from Ty Parke Farm and the camping ground Gary and Annie told the Herald: “For the past eight years we have been building up a successful boutique camping and yurt holiday business that attracts over 800 paying guests each summer. The proposed turbine will dominate our landscape. We feel certain that our business, which provides over 90% of our income, will suffer irreparable damage. “The Pen-y-banc ridge could have four turbines of three different sizes strung along its length and breaking the sky line of one of the most prominent ridge lines in this part of north Pembrokeshire. “There is no cumulative assessment of the landscape and visual impact on the views out from the Mathry Conservation Area assessing the effects of the existing turbines. We believe that such an assessment will show that if these are all erected then this area will take on the characteristics of an area dominated by the presence in the landscape of turbines. “We are by no means against renewable energy, indeed we have a small wind turbine of our own that caters for the needs of the campsite and farm. Furthermore, applicant already has a similar small turbine on the ridge that can be seen for miles around (we did not object to this because we saw it as supporting his farming business). “The new turbine is very, very much larger. It is not supporting his farm (most of his land is rented out now) and its development will industrialise the landscape.” The application for the wind turbine has been made by a company controlled by former Tory MP Tony Marlow and his partner Jill Chambers. The pair hit the news in 2001 when they announced an intention to plant GM crops at their Mathry farm. The bid was abandoned after local protests, which the former MP, claimed was “a deceitful and distorted campaign of misinformation.” Mathry Community Council’s objections have also been ignored by officers. The Community Council states that the turbine will “cause significant adverse impact, either cumulatively or individually” in breach of the County Council’s own development plan. Annie and Gary are urging their local representative, IPPG member David Rees, to back them against the development and asking those concerned about the damage to the landscape such a development represents to write to the Planning Officer conducting the case, Claire Jenkins, at County Hall, Haverfordwest.