The power company behind Whinash wind farm wants to build 27 giant turbines, each 377ft tall, higher than St Paul’s cathedral, across a five-mile ridge between Borrowdale and Bretherdale, near Tebay, Cumbria.

Opponents claim that the development would destroy a cherished landscape in a gateway to the Lake District, bring pollution and damage tourism without achieving any significant gain in energy.

A public inquiry, which opened this week, pits the Cumbria Tourist Board, the Council for National Parks, ramblers and the villagers of Orton against the environmental groups Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, who insist that the scheme is vital if the Government is serious about its intention to achieve renewable energy targets.

Kyle Blue, an estate agent from Orton and chairman of the No Whinash Windfarm group, said that if Chalmerston Wind Power Ltd were allowed to build and operate the £55 million project, it would lead to sprawling wind farms in other areas of natural beauty.

On the day that Chalmerston laid out its case to the inquiry in Penrith, Mr Blue, 53, said: “If this project proceeds, it will open the finest windy countryside to similar developments, and perhaps place national parks at risk, for insignificant benefits to the nation.”

The No Whinash group said that it had received 14,000 letters opposing the scheme.

Chalmerston said that the turbines would produce 41 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 47,000 homes for 110,000 people.

Andrew Newcombe, the company’s spokesman, said that most objections had come from private interest groups and that the project helped towards government targets on renewable energy and carbon dioxide emissions.

Jill Perry, of Friends of the Earth, said that the development was unlikely to have as much impact as its detractors believed. Much of their opposition was driven by “nimbyism”, she said.

The Cumbrian Tourist Board said that it was not opposed to renewable energy “in principle”, but the giant turbines, which would be visible from the M6, would damage tourism worth billions of pounds a year.

Ian Brodie, of Friends of the Lake District, said: “This is a wonderful piece of landscape that is being considered for classification as a national park. This project would be absolutely catastrophic for the area.”

Sir Chris Bonington, the mountaineer, and Lord Bragg of Wigton, the broadcaster, are expected to be among the witnesses giving evidence.

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