On April 24, 2008 Parkham Parish (North Devon) residents voted by a big majority to reject a proposal for two 2MW turbines in the Yeo Valley.
Of the 215 votes cast, 174 (81%) voted to reject the proposal.
The referendum, organised by the Parkham Parish Conservation Association (PPCA) under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972, and run by Torridge District Council, asked:
“Do you believe that the Sedborough proposal (1/0242/2008/FUL) before Torridge District Council to build two wind turbines, each with an overall height of 100m, in the Yeo Valley and approximately 1.1 miles (1.8km) from the village of Parkham should be rejected?”
The outcomes of parish polls have no legally binding status, but they are an important means of gauging local opinion. The PPCA wanted to know the view of the electorate of Parkham, the parish most directly affected by the wind turbine proposal, so that the parish council could take local opinion into account in its planning meeting on the application. The parish council has since decided not to support the wind turbine application and at a special planning meeting held on 25th April decided to reject the planning application by Parkham Farms.
PPCA chairman Garry Jennings says: “The PPCA are absolutely delighted with the results of the parish poll. The community have shown their true feelings towards the proposed wind turbine development. We would like to thank the residents of the parish for their continued support and encouragement towards our campaign. Now we have their unequivocal endorsement the PPCA will work tirelessly to continue the fight against the wind turbine planning application.
The outcome of the vote by the Parish Council to reject the plans to build two massive 100-metre turbines is also fantastic news and a commendable decision that is the correct one for our community. Again this confirms the views of the village of Parkham.
These two results send a clear message to Parkham Farms that the parish does not want the turbines to be a blot on our beautiful Devon countryside, damage the area’s tourism and create noise and shadow flicker environmental pollution”.
Note to editors:
The PPCA was formed by a group of local residents in January 2008 concerned about impact the proposed turbines would have on the community and environment of Parkham.
The aims and objectives of PPCA are:
1. To prevent the construction of any source of renewable energy that is inappropriate for the parish of Parkham.
2. To promote the use of renewable energy that is not environmentally damaging.
3. To ensure the community and parish of Parkham, as a whole, benefits from any schemes.
4. Any schemes are operated to a high standard by individuals and organizations that can demonstrate a track record of good environmental management.
For further details please contact Garry Jennings, 01237 451837 (home); 01271 347554 (work); or John McKay at 01237 451517
For more information on the PPCA and other opposition groups to wind turbine proposals for Devon, visit the Save North Devon from wind turbines website at:
The planning application (1/0242/2008/FUL) can be viewed at Torridge District Council, Riverbank House, Bideford, Devon, EX39 2QG or online at:
It can also be downloaded from:
END
25 April 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/04/28/parkham-parish-referendum-residents-vote-overwhelmingly-to-reject-wind-turbine-proposal/