LONG-AWAITED proposals to build the North-East's biggest wind farm have been unveiled and look set to be given the go-ahead next week.

A proposal to build 18 wind turbines on derelict land at the former Corus steelworks site in Redcar, east Cleveland, has been unveiled.

The wind farm is proposed for the northern part of the site. Further schemes of a similar scale are expected to be submitted for the southern part of the site as well as another offshore site.

The turbines are 100ft high, and have blade diameters of 80 metres. If all three parts of the scheme are given the go-ahead, they could meet the energy requirements of about 30,000 households.

The first application will go before the planning committee at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council on Tuesday.

The proposal is part of a number of schemes suggested for the regeneration of the area in the wake of job losses at the steel company.

The electricity produced would be connected into the existing Corus grid through underground cables and then on to the National Grid, meaning there would be no requirements for more overhead power lines.

The proposal has met with mixed reactions from different groups.

Some concerns have been raised during the consultation process that the turbines might be too close to homes and will prove a blot on the landscape.

Teesside Airport and the BBC say they are unsure of the effects it would have on radio signals, while the Teesside Green Party is supporting the plans for sustainable energy development.

However, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is against the scheme because it lies next to a special protection area and is concerned about the impact on the birds.

David Walsh, leader of the borough council, said it was one of the most creative and imaginative schemes the authority had ever been asked to consider.

"In many ways they are the windmills of the third millennium. They will harness the oldest power known to man - wind - and drive the needs of the 21st Century.

"Obviously we will have to study the concerns of those people who may be affected, but I believe the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages."

* The Government gave approval yesterday for the building of the biggest onshore wind farm in Britain. The £35m development in Mid Wales will involve the construction of 39 turbines which will generate enough energy to power 40,000 homes.