FOR years, the cooling towers on the site of a former power station have dominated the skyline over Willington.

But their imposing presence could become a thing of the past if plans to build a £1bn gas-fired power station on the site come to fruition.

It is this loss – not the noise the power station could generate, its size or a possible increase in traffic – that concerns residents the most about the plan.

"It is a shame that they could not do something with the cooling towers," said Peter Stretton, of Etwall.

"There are no reasons to have concerns about the project itself but the cooling towers have been around for so long that it will be a shame to see them go."

In April, the German company announced it was considering constructing the plant on the site of Willington Power Station, off Twyford Road.

The project would employ up to 2,000 people in the construction phase and up to 100 jobs would be created by the running of the plant.

The move follows the refusal of planning permission in January for a housing development on the Twyford Road site, following a lengthy public inquiry.

More than 300 people attended the first round of public consultations about the power station in June.

The proposals for the Willington site were then updated and went on display for the first time on Wednesday. Among the residents who went to see them was Willington parish councillor Keith Overton.

He said: "I am in favour of the project and there are a number of reasons for that. We have long had a power station in Willington and people have got used to it. It seems that the new gas-powered plant would not have any major environmental impact and would create well-paid, high-skilled jobs.

"But some people see the cooling towers as part of the village's heritage and will be sad to see them go."

The old power station site, on which five cooling towers still stand, is considered ideal for the development because it is close to the River Trent, the railway network and a National Grid connection.

Even though the plan is in the early stages, the power station could be operating at the site from 2015 – powering up to four million homes.

Project manager Mike Peel said the new development would consist of a main Combined Cycle Gas Turbine plant and an adjoining open-cycle gas-turbine plant that would help supply power during peak demand.

He said: "We have only modified the plans slightly since the last round of consultations.

"We have put the two different plants next to each other and the chimneys next to each other following suggestions from residents.

"If everything goes smoothly in terms of the planning application process, we plan to start construction in 2012, with generation starting in 2015."

Mr Peel said that Npower staff had been on site since April, conducting feasibility and environmental studies.

This had enabled the team to come up with photographs showing how the finished station could look.

He added: "Our next step is to submit an application to the department of energy and climate change and we plan to do this in December.

"From there, it could take up to 12 months to determine and in the meantime we need to secure funding from our German parent company."

The plans will be on display today at Findern Village Hall between 3pm and 7.30pm.