Spaldington Airfield Wind Farm developers Falck Renewables and their agents Coriolis Energy are looking to move the ‘goalposts’ after the Planning Inspector granted them planning consent for a 5 turbine wind farm just outside the Howdenshire village of Spaldington, by submitting a planning application to change the previously approved access to the site. (detail shown on map above)
One of the accusations levelled at Coriolis Energy in the past has been their lack of engagement with local people, and we see that they have not learnt from previous experiences in Spaldington, as we yet again see a planning application with little or no consultation with nearby residents.
The original agreed access route to the site for all "normal" HGV traffic and the abnormal loads (crane & turbine parts) was from Howden along the A614 to the Spaldington Lane junction at Ivy House Farm (water tower), along the whole length of Spaldington Lane to the Boothferry Golf Club and then up the B1228 (Bubwith Road) to the CFS/ITS entrance.
The revised plans now show a change in the route with a new access being created directly off Spaldington Lane, which will have some benefits for one property, plus of course the Golf Club (the owner of which is also one of the landowners on which the turbines are to be constructed), who if the plans are approved, will see very few HGV movements connected with the construction. But interestingly the planned new access is now adjacent to Sandwood House, this being the property of the recent Chairman of the STOP anti-wind farm group who has obviously no interest in the wind farm.
This smacks of being a rather suspicious tactic employed by the developer and the landowner, to minimise the impact that construction traffic will have on the Golf Club. On speaking to a number of Spaldington residents, they think it is nothing more than a cynical ploy to bully and punish the STOP group for standing up to them.
Having studied the hard copy of the application it appears that it is only one property that will be adversely affected by the new access. Almost everyone else would face the same level of construction disruption that ERYC Highways and the Inspector have already found to be acceptable. There will be an increase in the total of HGV journeys to construct the new access road, but I assume this will be relatively small. With the wind farm already approved I think it is likely that ERYC will, unfortunately, look favourably on this application for a new entrance on Spaldington Lane. But having said that there seems to be no reason why the access cannot be moved further away from the boundary with Sandwood House, and I would urge Coriolis Energy to go back to the drawing board and amend their plans accordingly.
6 comments:
What a gang of scoundrels!
Are East Riding any further forward with their setting distance limits - or is that still waiting for someone to wake up?
There is a suspicion that the developers may have always intended to access the Wind Farm from Spaldington Lane but felt that access from the B1228 would be less contentious when seeking planning permission. However the original B1228 route requires cutting across land not in the applicant’s ownership at the B1228/Spaldington Lane junction as well as at the entrance to CFS/ITS. I heard that a land owner at the CFS/ITS junction seemingly signed up and is listed on the original Spaldington Airfield planning application but the B1228/Spaldington Lane land owner is not listed and the details of the construction at the B1228/C88 are rather sketchy in the application. It could be that negotiations are proving expensive or impossible and the proposed new access is either a tactic or a case of s#d you!
It appears that as far as access is concerned, they have always had two problems with non-connected landowners at both ends of Spaldington lane. What’s the betting the next amendment and planning application with be at the junction of the A614 to change that detail?
Councillor Robinson, I live in Spaldington and was bitterley against both wind farms and am grateful for all your support to our tiny villahge on this and other problems. But I think you go too far saying a multinational outfit would go to these lengths just to seek revenge on Sandwood House. If they were so minded, then there are 2 people in Spaldington who should have 24hour armed gaurds. All the village (and the wind farmers) knows who really turned the wheels in the fight. Credit where it's due and not where it's not.
@Villager of Spaldington
I certainly agree with your observation regarding the two Spaldington Heroes, the community owe them a great deal for their tenacity and the sheer amount of work they did, they are true ‘Spaldington Warriors’. As for the location of the proposed access road, I’m sure it will certainly be what is best for the landowner, anyway I’m not a great believer in coincidence – and as I said in the blogpost - it’s just what some are telling me!
I have to take issue with 'Villager of Spaldington' - we have to remember that we were all in this together as part of STOP, the many people involved, and the reason why it first came to be.
Coriolis are not 'multinational' and trust me, personal jibes and underhand tactics are totally within their remit so please let’s not go there.
Of course we all know that there were two people who worked incredibly hard over the past three years and they have earned every bit of praise heaped upon them - they are both amazing, but please do not belittle the work that everyone else in STOP did because without all of them you would now be facing TWO wind farms in Spaldington, not one.
My name is Harry stewart I chair a group against coriolus who have just been refused planing for a 19turbine farm in eastrenfrewshireforum . We have the same treatment as yourself however the tide is turning today the valuation agency has had to reduce the council tax for houses near windfarms which destroys coriolus claims that there is no effect if we can help my email is harryh.stewart@btinternet.com
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