January 15, 2011
England

Wind farm fight ‘is not over yet’

Todmorden News, www.todmordennews.co.u 15 January 2011

Local campaigners are vowing to continue the fight to keep five giant wind turbines off Todmorden Moor, because the battle to protect the Common Land in the area has only just begun.

Todmorden Moor Restoration Trust insists that even though Calderdale Council approved the application for five 125m high wind turbines at Halifax Town Hall on Tuesday night, local people still have a good chance to stop the turbine invasion.

TMRT and other members of the public, at a very full council meeting, stressed their disappointment that Calderdale’s planning committee could not throw the whole plan out when they discussed it this week.

It was clear that members did not feel confident enough to face another expensive planning appeal, they said.

Sarah Pennie of TMRT said afterwards: “We did our very best and certainly rattled the councillors with our arguments.

“And this is not the end of it as far as the council is concerned either.”

Coronation Power now has to enter into firm legal agreements with the council, and provide a lot of additional information about the underground mine workings and to protect the private water supplies that come from Flower Scar Hill.

“The effort local people are making to protect the moor is brilliant”, said Sarah, “and TMRT thanks everyone who has written in to help.

“Now we move on to the next battle, which is to protect the Common Land.”

Coronation Power has to get permission from the Planning Inspectorate to deregister large parts of Todmorden Moor so they can build the roads, crane bases, substation, and turbines on the Common Land.

They are applying to take 23.51 hectares, that’s 58 acres, away from the common so they can build on the moor. They plan to replace this with about 3.43 hectares at the top of Green Clough.

Sarah Pennie, speaking for TMRT said: “This is an industrial development and completely inappropriate for peat moorland. The small piece of very poor land they wish to give us as compensation is a joke. A lot of grazing land will be lost, and so will the unspoiled and quiet character of the common that makes it such a valuable open space close to the town.

“This is not an appropriate place for all the construction necessary for giant wind turbines.

“We will of course object to this loss of common land, and encourage others to send in their objections too.” All Common Land objections go straight to the Planning Inspectorate in Bristol, not to the council, and they must be in by January 31.

TMRT is providing people with information on the Common Land application.

They can be contacted on r.pennie@tiscali.co.uk, or on telephone 01706 559971.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/01/15/wind-farm-fight-is-not-over-yet/