March 31, 2011
England

Protestors seek end to their battle

icstafford.icnetwork.co.uk 30 March 2011

Campaigners fighting proposals to erect six towering wind masts are urging a council to end years of anguish and throw out the proposals.

South Staffordshire Council is set to meet on April 5 to make a ruling on controversial plans to install six 126-metre wind turbines in the rural village of Brineton.

In February, the Stop Turbines Action Group (STAG) received a massive boost when South Staffordshire Council rejected proposals to install a temporary 70-metre wind monitoring mast near Church Eaton.

Now, members of STAG and UKIP MEP Mike Nattrass, who has been a long supporter of the campaign and vocal opponent of onshore wind farms, are hopeful the local authority will rule against the application.

In November 2009, Mr Nattrass met with members of STAG at the European Parliament in Strasbourg and since then the MEP has worked with campaigners to fight the King Street wind farm scheme.

Mike said: “At long last it is decision time and I call on South Staffordshire Council to do the right thing and refuse this application.

“The case against this wind farm is strong. From an environmental perspective, English Heritage states its belief that the masts would be detrimental to the views from the historic Weston Park.

“If you take away the subsidies, wind farms would not be economically viable. They are a woefully inefficient way of harnessing energy as they do not operate when it is too windy or when it is not windy enough.”

STAG member Bob King said: “I would have two turbines within just half-a-mile of my home – I just hope the application is turned down by the local authority.”

Natural England has stated its opposition to the proposed wind farm and English Heritage has called for the scheme to be refused.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/03/31/protestors-seek-end-to-their-battle/