Wind farm battle gains new support
Locals are opposing npower's proposal, planned for eight miles north of Swansea, and have been buoyed in their efforts by the Open Spaces Society.
Its general secretary Kate Ashbrook said: "This is a wonderful open hillside, with spectacular views, where people roam freely enjoying the peace, tranquillity and exhilaration of the area.
"The wind turbines, with their associated paraphernalia of tracks, transformers, mast and substation, will urbanise and destroy the wildness of the site.
"This hillside is particularly important, being so close to Swansea. It is the backdoor recreation ground for the city's population."
She said the land was common land, and people had a right to walk and ride horses over all of it, not just on the paths.
Kate said: "The turbines and other works will severely interfere with the public's exercise and enjoyment of its rights, as well as with the rights of commoners to graze animals there."
She added: "A development of this scale on common land ought to be subject to the procedures for exchange land, requiring the developers to offer, in exchange for the common to be taken, land which is just as beneficial to the public.
"That, of course, would be an impossible task and would render the application dead in the water."
npower has said its plans would create sufficient energy to power over 24,000 properties.
It says the development of sites such as Mynydd-y-Gwair is essential if Wales is to meet its targets for reducing carbon emissions and meeting climate change goals.
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