That's summer over then! As we go into the Autumn months, there is plenty to tell you about on the wind energy front. Firstly, some important dates for the diary:
Thursday 20th September - Banks Renewables are holding two public exhibitions, one at Killington Village Hall and one at New Hutton Institute, both from 3 until 7pm. This is in relation to Killington Wind Farm.
Wednesday 26th September – West Coast Energy are holding a public exhibition at Rosley Village Hall from 2 until 8pm in relation to the three turbines proposed at Carwath.
Please do attend these if you can. Objectors will be present at both events and your support will be very welcome.
Tuesday 2nd October for Six Days – The Public Inquiry into the proposed wind farm at Hallburn near Longtown will take place during this time. The Hallburn application has a great deal in common with the Beck Burn proposal as the two sites are in relatively close proximity to each other. In addition to this, the Ministry of Defence has objected to both on the grounds that the turbines are likely to interfere with seismic monitoring equipment at Eskdalemuir. Because of the similarities between the two, the Inspector will open both inquiries on Tuesday 2nd October. The Beck Burn inquiry will then be adjourned and is unlikely to be resumed until December. The inquiry into the Hallburn proposal, however, will continue from Tuesday over six days, as determined by the Inspector. As with all public inquiries, it is essential to demonstrate to the Inspector that these applications are of great significance and importance to the people of Cumbria. The inquiry is a formal procedure but it is perfectly acceptable to enter and leave the room whilst it is taking place. A substantial public presence is essential over the course of the inquiry and so, if you happen to be in Carlisle at any point over the six days, we do urge that you visit the Civic Centre and listen to part of the proceedings even if you can only spare half an hour. Our support for the objectors and for Carlisle City Council's refusal of the turbines must be made clear to the Inspector by our presence in the room if we expect it to carry any weight in his decision. The timing of the proceedings will probably be decided by the Inspector on a day to day basis but a likely starting time is 10am. The Hallburn developer is REG, the same opponent we are facing at High Pow and Little Waver.
Returning to the public exhibition at Rosley, it is important to point out that this is an area which has seen many applications and requests for screening opinions lately. We feel it is essential that Allerdale Borough Council places greater emphasis on the cumulative impact of wind energy development in situations like this when there are multiple proposals.
Another part of the Borough which is being heavily targeted at the moment is the area around the existing wind farm at Great Orton. Here we have a situation where the boundary between Allerdale and Carlisle City Council's planning jurisdiction passes through the middle of a single farm. Two companies have between them submitted three applications for large single turbines on this property. One of these companies applied to both Allerdale and to Carlisle for two separate turbines taking care that neither application mentioned the other one! If this is not an attempt to build a wind farm by stealth, then I really do not know what is. Now that the secret is fully exposed, the application on the Allerdale side of the boundary has been withdrawn. The company in question is Stern Wind, otherwise known as Planning Consultations. It is the same company which was defeated in March at Lane Head, Boltongate, where there has recently been a new application for a slightly smaller turbine but little else different. Stern Wind/Planning Consultations also currently have live applications at Cockermouth and at High Harrington.
The people living in the area around Great Orton are in need of our help. In addition to the situation at the property on the boundary as described above, there are turbines approved at Orton Grange, at Midtown Farm and also a new application for a turbine by the airfield at Wiggonby. All of this is of course in addition to the existing wind farm at Watchtree Nature Reserve.
Please take a couple of minutes to object to some of the above. Your objection does not have to be at all detailed but we do suggest that it mentions the cumulative impact that each turbine has in combination with all the others.
The last FORCE newsletter which was issued at the beginning of August headlined on the fact there had been 70 wind energy related applications and requests for screening opinions in Allerdale since the beginning of 2012. That figure has now risen to just below 90! Please do visit the planning website and help our cause by objecting to some of these. When you open up the page on any application, a menu appears on the left hand side which includes a weekly applications list. We do recommend that members browse this list from time to time. We have now reached the stage where it is likely that someone will be wanting to erect at least one turbine near you wherever you happen to be in Allerdale.
In the meantime, here are some applications that you may find particularly interesting. If you and/or your neighbours are in the vicinity of a Stern Wind/Planning Consultations proposal, you may wish to send objections relating to the following:
The new proposal at Wiggonby, near Great Orton, can be accessed as follows:
If you think that it is not acceptable to impose even more on the people of Flimby, you may wish to object to the following application which would plant a 67m machine right in the middle of the one turbine free view of the countryside which remains in that area. In addition to this, the application, if it were to be approved, would bring wind energy saturation a significant step closer to Maryport. Perhaps it is time to draw the line here!
Many thanks to all of our members for your support at this difficult time with so many applications pouring in. If we all work together to ensure that planning officers and politicians at all levels are aware of our views, we CAN make a difference!
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