The proposal to build the biggest wind farm in England has been given the go ahead, but not everyone is happy.

Fullabrook Down, between Barnstaple and Ilfracombe in North Devon, is the proposed site for 22 turbines which will each stand at 110 metres tall.

Each turbine will have a rated capacity of 3 megawatts, giving a total installed capacity of 66 megawatts. This amount of power generated should be enough to meet the average annual needs of 30,000 domestic consumers, which is equivalent to over 80% of domestic electricity consumption in North Devon.

Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks has also said that the wind farm will save around 65,000 tonnes of CO2 emission a year.

The green credentials of the project seem impressive, and will make a huge contribution to the government's National Energy Strategy which recommends that in Devon onshore wind power should provide at least 103 megawatts of installed electricity capacity by 2010.

However, many locals are unhappy with the decision to install the wind turbines, while North Devon district and Devon county councils advised the government that the scheme should be rejected.

Understandably, objections have been made based on the fact that the wind farm will be an eyesore, and spoil the natural habitat. However, the North Devon coastline is exactly the type of area that is threatened by global warming and rising sea levels. Wind farms are one of the cheapest methods to attempt to combat the problem with renewable energy.

Calls have been made to look at other methods of renewable energy, but there are problems. The UK does not have enough sunshine for solar power to operate effectively, wave and tidal power is still at the development stage, while higher costs are associated with nuclear energy or a barrage (eg Torridge or Severn).

Offshore wind farms also have a much higher cost than onshore farms, while the need for shallow water makes suitable locations difficult to find.

There have been worries that the wind farm will have a negative impact on tourism, but there is no substantial evidence to support this claim, and in fact the wind turbines could become a form of tourist attraction themselves.

Because there are strict guidelines for noise standards when installing wind turbines, noise pollution should not be an issue. According to Devon Wind Power: "The sound of a working wind farm is less than that from normal road traffic or an office."

The UK is the windiest country in Europe, and Fullabrook has some of the most consistently high wind speeds in Devon. Although it will of course be upsetting to many local residents, it seems that this particular site is the most appropriate location for a wind farm.

It is pleasing to see that the government are actually beginning to make changes which, in the long run, should make a difference to the amount of pollution we are contributing to the environment. Most surveys suggest that the average person also wants to be more environmentally friendly, but it is clear that when it actually comes down to selecting specific locations for green projects, it is the local residents that are affected most.

The majority of complaints against a wind farm in Fullabrook Down are based on their negative visual impact, and the fact that they are spoiling the natural beauty of the area. The irony is that their very purpose is to save the natural beauty of the area in the long run, by cutting the amount of harmful emissions we release into the atmosphere and ultimately slow down the rate at which we are destroying our planet.

It is all very well agreeing to cut carbon emissions and become more environmentally friendly, but unless we are actually prepared to make a few sacrifices along the way, we won't make any changes for the better.