January 10, 2008
England
England
STOP Wadlow Wind Farm (SWWF)campaign group is gearing up for another battle after Renewable Energy Systems (RES) announced it is to appeal against the planning application refusal made by South Cambridgeshire Council in June 2007.
RES is proposing to build a 13-turbine wind farm at Wadlow Farm, between West Wratting and Balsham, with each one standing at 120 metres tall.
SWWF helped persuade councillors it was not the right move when the application went before South Cambridgeshire Council’s planning committee last June but RES is adamant Wadlow Farm is the right place for this development.
Jacqui Burke, secretary of SWWF, strongly rejected this claim and said: “Our position is absolutely unchanged.
“This is a totally inappropriate location for an industrialised development.”
At the South Cambridgeshire planning meeting in June several parish councillors and local villagers gave evidence to the council to show they believed the wind farm would not create enough electricity to meet the national target.
The evidence given then, plus more, will be put together over the next few months before a public inquiry is heard, but this could still be 18 months away.
Annette Deveson, project manager at RES, said: “The reality is that regional targets for renewable energy are not likely to be met by 2010 and therefore wind farms such as Wadlow Farm are urgently needed to help the east of England play its part in tackling climate change.
“By refusing this wind farm, South Cambridgeshire has effectively closed the door on all wind farms in its district, and we do not believe that this is the right thing to do at a time when concerns about fossil fuels are increasing.”
Despite the long wait there could be until the hearing, the group has urged people to keep the momentum going while money is raised to pay the group’s legal fees for the hearing.
Jacqui said: “The biggest challenge is to maintain momentum and to raise funds that will be required to pay for legal fees, which don’t come cheap.
“It is a disgrace that members of the local community have to put their hands in their pockets against a business which obviously has very deep pockets.”
By Derek Bish
8 January 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/01/10/protest-group-needs-funds-to-fight-appeal/