And one of the signatories to the deal is now an anti-wind farm campaigner - Frances, Dowager Duchess of Rutland - mother of the Duke of Rutland.

A contract, which allowed Nuon to assess the viability of the site at Croxton Kerrial for 12 months, was signed by the trustees of the estate and the developer in May 2007.

It was sent to the Journal this week.

Among the signatories was Frances, Dowager Duchess who has since stepped down as a trustee and joined anti-wind farm campaign group BLOT.

She became a prominent member of the group, even handing in a petition to planners against a proposal for turbines near Bottesford, which was subsequently turned down.

The Dowager Duchess said: "The document is genuine. Back then I didn't know anything about wind farms and they seemed in the far and distant future.

"It all happened rather more quickly than I expected and I have since changed my mind.

"I wouldn't dream of supporting it now. Like thousands of others, I am now very against them."

The Dowager Duchess also said if a proposal was made to build a wind farm on the estate, she would continue to support BLOT.

A BLOT spokesman said: "The Dowager Duchess of Rutland is one of those who joined BLOT at an early stage and her commitment and energy has been, and still is, invaluable."

A spokesman for Nuon said: "Nuon has no formal agreement but there has been a tentative interest which remains.

"The document you have seen is consistent with the kind of arrangement under which a large number of sites are looked at but where the majority fall away for a variety of reasons well before any of them could be considered for the site of a potential development proposal."

Belvoir Estate refused to comment.


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