August 29, 2007
Wales
Wales
A petition signed by Llandudno town officials and local societies is urging the Welsh Assembly to take more control over windfarm legislation.
Mayor of Llandudno, Councillor Alun Barrett, was joined by members of anti-windfarm organisation Save Our Scenery on Bank Holiday Monday to present the document to Assembly Member Gareth Jones.
The petition will now be submitted to the Welsh Assembly Government, requesting that windfarm decision making processes are placed in the hands of the people of Wales under the extended powers that were recently granted.
Protesters to offshore turbines in North Wales want the Welsh Assembly to hold a full public inquiry into both the Rhyl Flats development and the Gwynt Y Mor windfarm, as they believe that the effect on Llandudno’s sea view could ruin the town’s thriving tourist industry.
Chairman of Save Our Scenery (SOS), John Lawson Reay, said: “It is now up to Welsh Assembly members, Gareth Jones and Darren Millar to persuade the Petitions Committee of the Welsh Assembly of the folly of the planning blunders of Rhyl Flats and Gwynt-y-Mor.”
As a matter of urgency, anti-windfarm demonstrators are also calling for all foundation work being laid near Rhos Point to be stopped immediately.
The current work being undertaken by npower renewables involves laying rocks on the seabed at the turbine locations to prepare for the construction of the Rhyl Flats wind turbines in 2008.
According to windfarm Protesters, this could create an environmental disaster around the sea bed and the surrounding eco-system or plant life and fish that live there.
A spokeswoman for npower renewables said: “This project has been given the proper consent. We’ve gone through all the proper procedures and had all the relevant checks. This is the start of the work and we will be starting construction as planned.
“In regard to the Welsh Assembly taking charge of windfarm applications: wherever the powers go to in the future, we will deal with the relevant authority in the same way.”
By David Waddington
29 August 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/08/29/protesters-blow-cold-over-windfarm-plans/