The two turbines would cost about �400,000

The North Petherwin Renewable Energy Trust says the second-hand turbines would make the parish hundreds of thousands of pounds.

But others are objecting on the grounds that tall windmills will ruin the countryside and devalue properties.

The trust says parish councillors were intimidated by objectors, but objectors say they only described concerns.

The whole of the proceeds will go to the parish David Polglaze

David Polglaze, treasurer of the trust, said two second-hand turbines would only be as high as local electricity pylons and cost less than �400,000, of which �150,000 would come from grants.

He said the rest would be borrowed but, once that was paid back, the sale to the National Grid of the electricity generated by the turbines would net the parish more than �50,000 a year.

David Polglaze said the previous parish council supported the project, but that was not the case now.

He said: "The new council, which has much younger members, it was threatened at a meeting by parishioners that, unless they declined to have a feasibility study, done they would hold everybody on the council responsible for any devaluation in their houses - which is not a planning issue at all."

Genuine concerns

He said the benefits would outweigh any perceived disadvantages, saying : "The whole of the proceeds will go to the parish and various schemes identified in parish plans."

Objector Mike Worthington said there had been no intimidation or threatening, but that many people had genuine concerns about the turbines.

He said: "What has happened is we have been giving a reasoned and balanced view of the inappropriateness of turbines in this community.

"We believe they are a blot on the landscape and there are real effects on livelihoods, including the prices of properties."

The North Petherwin Renewable Energy Trust will be putting in a planning application for the turbines within the next few weeks.