PLANS for a £50 million windfarm scheme have been lodged with the Department of Trade and Industry.

Scout Moor Wind Farm will provide enough power for the whole of Rossendale consisting of 26 turbines, each a hundred metre high supplying up to 65 megawatts of power.

The site, near Edenfield, is the windiest in Lancashire with average wind speeds of 15mph - 50 per cent higher than Manchester.

The United Utilities project - in partnership with development company Peel Holdings - will also provide £1million for community projects and create up to 130 construction jobs.

If the plans get the go-ahead from the Secretary of State, Scout Moor will provide six times more electricity than Cliviger's wind farm - currently the biggest in the North West.

A community trust will be set up to invest £1 million into local projects over the course of the windfarm's 25-year operational life.

Richard Brewster, business development manager for Scout Moor Wind Farm, said: "The Government has set clear targets for ten per cent of the UK's electricity to be provided from renewable sources by the end of the decade.

"If we are to tackle the effects of global warming, we must cut carbon dioxide emissions and getting our energy from the wind is one of the best ways to do this.

"East Lancs is one of the windiest parts of the country and we can use this natural resource to benefit both the environment and our regional economy."

The planning application is accompanied by a four volume environmental statement.

Copies of the statement can be viewed at the main planning offices of Lancashire County Council, Rossendale Borough Council and Rochdale MBC. Copies will also be available for viewing at Norden and Edenfield Post Offices.

The DTI will now begin consultation with the planning authorities of Lancashire, Rossendale and Rochdale councils. The councils are to carry out local consultations before informing the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry of their views.