PLANS to erect a wind farm on the fells above a remote North Pennines village are still under consideration.

National Wind Power, which announced its intention to build the controversial wind farm at Rookhope, in Weardale, in 1997, said yesterday it was still reviewing the project.

A spokeswoman for the company said it expected to make an announcement in the New Year on whether to go ahead with the project.

She said that, at the same time, the company was asking officers at Wear Valley District Council for guidance on various planning matters.

The original scheme was to erect 23 turbines on Redburn Common and 17 on the Wolfcleugh Ridge, just outside Rookhope. Each turbine would be up to 60m in height, with 30m-high sails.

The scheme sparked massive controversy in and around the County Durham village.

The Preservation of Weardale (POW) group argued that the wind farm would destroy an area of outstanding natural beauty and would not provide the number of jobs it promised.

National Wind Power said it was ready to spend £2m on a visitor centre, tracing the industrial heritage of the area.

But this was described by POW as "a red herring" that would never be built.

"Local people are horrified at the thought of this small village being swamped by visitors wanting to buy small plastic wind farm souvenirs," said a spokesman.

But National Wind Power's project manager, Dr Martin Marais, said: "Putting out information like this can only be misleading and does nothing to help local people understand the project."