Many will recall when I spoke against the Sixpennywood Windfarm application at the appeal hearing - I said the company Your Energy had acted in a very questionable manner from the very beginning, playing scant regard to community engagement, riding roughshod over local concerns, measuring the background noise in very dubious circumstances, and changing the size of the turbines between the Planning Committee making its decision and the case going to appeal. Needless to say the actions of the company continue to raise concerns and annoy a number of residents as they now try to take 'common land', and look to close a bridleway for their convenience during the construction process.
Nearby Spaldington is poised for a similar battle against not one, but two large wind farm developers – one at each side of the village, as both go to appeal simultaneously in mid-May after yet again being refused by the ERYC Planning Committee.
Local democracy is worth fighting for, local voices are important and should be heard, alas this was clearly not the previous Labour Governments understanding, when they trampled all over local democratically elected Councillors, hopefully now that centralist government with its complete lack of understanding of rural issues has been thrown out. The new Coalition Government with its Localism agenda will hopefully give us a fairer hearing.
How ironic the number of times (like today), that I drive over the Ouse Bridge to see the wind turbines west of Airmyn at a standstill, but Drax in the background still churns out the megawatts.”
3 comments:
It is interesting to note that even when turbines are rotating it is no indication of the actual power being generated. One of the pertinent questions to ask is the actual output - or I would even suggest planning conditions require the output of the generator(s) to be individually displayed on the internet in real time.
Apart from off shore and hill top sites the green arguments would collapse in the glare of such data availability.
It is interesting to note that despite an obligation to consult with neighbouring parish councils neither Gilberdyke nor Blacktoft had heard anything about this scheme until late in the day when it slipped out.
I notice you raise the issue of localism and the big society in several posts Paul. Perhaps it is fair to say the big society is like a kiss - you get out of it exactly what you put in!
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