July 16, 2011
England, Letters

Turbine poser

North Devon Gazette, www.northdevongazette.co.uk 6 July 2011

Your article last week about the decision to refuse the proposal for nine giant wind turbines at Batsworthy Cross quotes Chris Nunn, from RWE npower renewables as saying :“We consulted extensively with the local community and received a great deal of support for our application. This decision will be a great disappointment to all those local people.”

Who were the “local supporters” that the developer mentioned? I was there at the meeting, and the hall was packed to bursting with local people, all of them objecting against the proposal, many of whom spoke, covering all the issues with both knowledge and passion.

What your article should have highlighted most, alongside the fact that the Planning Committee voted unanimously against the proposal, was the fact that this large and powerful energy company, with all its wealth and resources, could not find one local person to speak on its behalf.

No locals from the area around Batsworthy Cross spoke in favour of the proposal. The only support the developer could find was from a few members of the North Devon Green Party, living in places such as Croyde, Barnstaple and Ilfracombe – hardly local to Rose Ash and Creacombe, for example.

There was also a renewable expert who spoke. He did say that he had been asked to speak in support of the proposal, but having looked at it, he said he could not do so, and he urged the Planning Committee to refuse the application.

Christine Lovelock

Barnstaple


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/07/16/turbine-poser/