THE MAJORITY of people who attended exhibitions on the controversial Rossendale wind farm are in support of the scheme, it has been revealed.

The Scout Moor exhibitions at Rawtenstall and Heywood invited locals to take a first look at the proposals and find out more about the scheme and the benefits of wind energy.

The exhibition detailed proposals for the £50 million windfarm scheme and included seven 'before and after' photo montages of the turbines taken from different viewpoints around the Scout Moor site, between Edenfield and Whitworth.

Richard Brewster, development manager for Scout Moor wind farm, said: "We're pleased that so many people took the chance to come along and see the scheme for themselves.

"Everyone's got a view on wind power and we heard a real cross-section of opinion, but the majority of visitors were supportive of our plans."

Residents who attended were asked to take part in a survey, which showed:

* 58 per cent support the scheme

* 27 per cent were against the scheme

* 15 per cent stated no opinion

The Scout Moor wind farm, a joint partnership between United Utilities and Peel Holdings, a leading transport and property company, would consist of 26 turbines capable of generating enough electricity to power 51,000 homes -- more than all the households in Rossendale and more than half of all the homes in Rochdale. Over its lifetime, it would save 170,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. CO2 is one of the main contributors to global warming.

Richard said: "The fact is that we need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions drastically if we are to prevent further environmental damage from global warming. There are only two credible alternatives to our current reliance on coal, oil and gas - nuclear power or renewable energy.

"Wind power is by far the most cost-effective renewable technology and our best option for producing clean, green electricity."

But residents opposed to the site feel windfarms spoil the countryside by their size and the noise they produce.

The turbines would be sited on the moors between Rochdale and Rawtenstall, including Scout Moor and Knowle Moor.

Developers said less than two per cent of the moorland would be used and public access to the moors would not be affected.

Wind farm schemes are part of the Government's renewable energy target to provide ten per cent of Britain's electricity from green sources by 2010, aimed at reducing global warming.

Following the exhibition, the partnership will now finalise its planning proposal before formally submitting an application to the Secretary of State in the next few weeks.