An electricity generating water wheel in a former mill dam at Carleton Wend has been given the go-ahead.

But applicants Jason and Melanie Glover will have to convince Craven District Council that there are adequate safety measures before the wheel is put in place.

The planning committee heard residents and the parish council raise concerns over safety as well as ownership issues.

Councillors were also told a community hydro scheme had been in the pipeline, but had been put off because of uncertainty over the ownership of the site, which is within the Carleton Conservation Area.

The approved galvanised steel wheel will be mounted on a steel support frame bolted to the bottom of Catlow Gill beck close to The Wend Bridge. It is estimated that the wheel will produce up to 2800 kw/hours per year.

Mrs Glover told the meeting that she and her husband, a mechanical engineer, had largely financed an earlier Mend the Wend project in the community. She said they would be happy to see a community project for another hydro scheme, but were pressing ahead with their own, having acquired the rights in 2007.

Fellow resident Judith Hargreaves said she spoke for 15 others in the immediate neighbourhood and an additional five who used the wend.

“Our prime objection is that the applicant does not own the land. We have found that the land is not registered and is therefore not owned by anyone,” she said.

She said there were also issues about safety because the wheel would not be contained, and pointed out that children had access to the beck channel.

Mrs Hargreaves added: “We have been thinking about a water turbine, which would be covered. It has been delayed, because it was not known who owned the land.”

She added that a community project would benefit everyone.

The meeting also heard from the parish council that children used the beck and there were concerns that they would be put in danger.

The beck was also populated by fish, including trout, and there were fears the wheel would have an adverse impact on their spawning.

However, councillors were reminded it was not necessary to own the land before submitting a planning application and safety issues were not the concern of the planning committee, which had to consider the application on its merits.

Coun Paul English (Lib Dem) said he supported the idea of renewable energy, although he shared safety concerns: “The primary concern seems to be the ownership of the land, but that is not for us to object to. There are also rival bids for community projects, which is again nothing to do with us.”

Coun Alan Sutcliffe (Cons) said he was also in support, but would like to see safety measures in place first.

Councillors were told that a practical solution would be a wire cage to enclose the wheel, but that would have a greater visual impact.

The Glovers were given approval for their scheme on the condition they first submitted plans for acceptable safety measures.