May 6, 2008
England
England
A leading figure in the controversy surrounding plans for a wind farm in Marshland St James has been refused entry to a public meeting about the proposals.
Lyndon Mason, chairman of Fenland Landscape Against Turbines (FLAT) was barred from a consultation event organised by Marshland Wind Farms, the company behind the scheme, because of his alleged earlier “disruptive behaviour” at the meeting.
Around 200 people are estimated to have attended the meeting, held at the Marshland St James Jubilee Hall on Thursday, the first of two held in the area.
Mr Mason said he had been interrupted while asking a representative of NOTUS, the German energy company backing the scheme, some “awkward questions.”
After a “heated conversation” with one of the organisers, Mr Mason said he left the building to answer a mobile phone call and was then refused entry.
He added: “I was told I was being banned because I was being disruptive.
“It is no word of a lie there was a lot of opposition. A large number of people came up to us afterwards and told us they were not impressed with what they had seen.”
SECURITY GUARDS
But organisers have hailed Thursday’s meeting an overall success and there were no other problems despite feelings running high in the village.
Spokesman Bruce Pittingale said Mr Mason had left and re-entered the venue twice, before being refused entry by security guards, hired by the company, on the third occasion.
Mr Pittingale added: “From the point of view of the organisers, he was being quite loud and it was upsetting other people.
“We asked him not to return to the meeting again. It was not done in a nasty way and there was no problem.
“It was unfortunate he decided he would be rather loud in what he was trying to portray.
“He was trying to do that on two other occasions and we felt other people were not very happy with the way in which he was acting.
“Members of the public obviously felt they were not being given a peaceful arena in which they could express themselves easily.”
A second meeting was held at Tilney St Lawrence Village Hall on Friday evening and consultation forms on the proposals have been distributed.
Mr Ian Robinson, a consultant with Marshland Wind Farms, said more than 200 people had attended Friday’s event, adding: “It went excellently and we are very, very pleased.”
Mr Mason said he had been allowed entry to the hall.
By Daisy Wallage
6 May 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/05/06/ban-on-marshland-wind-farm-opponent/