A WIND farm could be set up on a Canvey wildlife haven.

Supermarket chain Morrisons wants to put up a 60m tall mast to measure wind speed and direction on Canvey Wick.

It will test whether or not a wind farm would be effective on the green belt site.

Matt Shardlow, director of conservation charity Buglife, is worried about the effect wind turbines would have on the area, which is a designated site of special scientific interest. He said: “This is one of the most important sites in Britain for endangered species.

“We believe the whole of Canvey Wick needs to be put into nature conservation for its wildlife, in addition to being an SSSI.

“We are looking with great interest to see what Morrisons is going to do and we are concerned about the damage which would be caused to the site.”

Canvey Wick is home to rare species including the shrill carder bee, saltmarsh shortspur beetle, scarce emerald damselfly and the morley weevil.

Natural England, a Government group which must be consulted on applications for development within the green belt, withdrew its initial objection after Morrisons carried out an ecological assessment of the site.

Petroplus, which runs the oil refinery at Coryton, has fiercely objected to the proposal.

The site is within the firm’s “buffer zone”, set up around the refinery to carefully monitor development. The firm’s planning consultants have raised concerns about the wind farm.

In written submissions Rory Joyce, for Drivers Jonas LLP, said: “Petroplus believe the visual impact of the proposal is potentially significant and will outweigh the environmental benefits which may be gained from the proposal.”

Despite its green belt location, Castle Point Council’s chief development officer Kim Fisher has recommended councillors give the proposal the go-ahead when it goes before the development control committee. She argued the mast and potential wind farm come under special circumstances, outweighing green belt protection.

Mrs Fisher said: “The mast is required to gather meteorological data, which would inform any decision to submit an application for a future wind farm. The proposal clearly has the potential for wider environmental benefits.”

The committee meeting starts at 7.30pm, in the council’s offices, in Kiln Road, Thundersley, on Tuesday, April 6.