November 24, 2010
England

Burton villagers pack meeting to hear re-submitted wind farm plans

Scunthorpe Telegraph, www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk 24 November 2010

Villagers gave a clear signal of their continued opposition to a proposed wind farm by packing a public meeting to have their say on the project.

More than 170 people packed Burton Parish Council’s planning meeting to hear re-submitted plans for seven turbines at Flixborough Grange.

As reported, a previous scheme, by Oxfordshire-based RidgeWind, has already been refused by planners at North Lincolnshire Council and again by a Government planning inspector after a public inquiry.

But the company has now submitted another application and protestors are prepared for another fight.

Member of protest group Burton Against Turbines, Steve Fuller, of Derby Road, Burton-Upon-Stather, said: “Nothing really has changed.

“The objections of the village are just the same as they were before. There are a lot of different reasons for objecting and the biggest one is the manner in which RidgeWind has gone about this.

“There is the impact on the landscape, the still unresolved noise issues and the vastly overstated benefits.”

Paul Fowler, 38, of Burton, was also at Burton Village Hall for Monday’s meeting.

He said: “We want to carry on the fight. We are certainly not going to give up just because they want to come back three times.

“I am as up for a fight now as I was two years ago, when I first got involved.

“It is a case of putting forward our democratic view, which RidgeWind don’t like or want to take account of.

“It is a case of keeping going until they go away.”

Another Burton resident, Jon Bayley, 26, added: “I want to raise the issue that North Lincolnshire Council needs to set a precedent to be seen to be looking after our countryside.

“I understand the pros of these things, but I think we have got to look after the countryside and the views.”

Chairman of the parish council’s planning committee Steve Sowerby said he was pleased to see so many residents attend the meeting.

He said: “The feeling hasn’t changed. I was pleased to see so many people there.

“It shows the village is coming together when we have any key issues like this, which we really need to solve between us.”

A spokesman for RidgeWind said the company did not wish to comment at this stage.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2010/11/24/burton-villagers-pack-meeting-to-hear-re-submitted-wind-farm-plans/