Farmers and landowners with mobile phone masts on their land likely to be decommissioned following proposed mergers in the telecom sector should consider using the site for a wind turbine.

The advice comes from Chris Jones at Berrys who believes planning consent in place for a mast could be adapted to make the site usable for a wind turbine and allow the green energy produced from the turbine to compensate for the income stream lost from the mast.

"Obviously not all mast sites will be suitable for a wind turbine but if they are it makes sense not to 'waste' the planning permission," said Chris, a partner at Berrys Shrewsbury office.

"Following the introduction of Feed-In Tariffs (FITs) from April 1, wind generation could be a viable option for many rural businesses, providing an alternative, renewable source of power plus the chance for surplus energy generated to provide a regular source of income.

With the proposed mergers of Orange and T-mobile and T-mobile and 3, many thousands of mobile sites could become redundant in the future meaning a subsequent loss of income for those affected.

Planning consultant Stephen Locke believes that the planning permission for the mast could be adapted to enable many of the sites to accommodate a wind turbine. The structure, base and connection to the national grid are potentially already there.

"Energy produced can be used to power the farm and the Feed-In Tariff pays the owner a fixed premium for every unit of electricity generated for up to 20 years," he explained. "The Feed in Tariffs are really production tariffs, with up to 34.5p per kWh payable for wind energy."

The feasibility of this depends on the structure of the mast and the scale of turbine proposed and, of course, if sufficient wind is available. 

Stephen says pay back is very difficult to establish without knowing the scale of the turbine, funding issues and farm usage but typically it is between eight and 11 years.

"Typical capital cost for a standard 6 kW turbine is around £25000. Clearly it depends upon the location but an average payback is typically 10 years," he said, adding "The higher FIT levels are currently fixed until 2012 so it is better to consider a scheme now before rates start to reduce. If a mast site is adapted, capital costs could be reduced, giving a quicker payback".

Normal planning concerns are with noise, bats / birds, visual impact, line of sight communications, amenity issues, health and safety, airfields and distance from buildings.

Farmers who don't wish to take up the wind turbine option need to ensure that they receive adequate compensation from the mobile phone company. They should be aware of what their lease allows before accepting anything and ensure that the land is put back to its original state or they could end up having to reinstate the site themselves, which could costs thousands of pounds.

For further information contact Chris Jones or Stephen Locke at Berrys on 01743 271697 or visit www.berrybros.com