October 8, 2011
England

Wind farm battle continues

Milton Keynes Citizen, www.miltonkeynes.co.uk 7 October 21011

Ecotricity has downplayed allegations that its proposal to build 15 wind turbines near Salcey Forest lies in tatters.

The Save Our Salcey campaign announced this week that Milton Keynes Council ‘rejected’ their Environmental Statement because it was ‘inadequate and not up to standard’.

But Ecotricity explained the council were not rejecting their proposal, but actually asking for clarification on a number of points, and for more information on others.

A spokesman said: “When an application is submitted, it is not unusual for the council or Statutory Consultees to request additional information or clarification and such requests are made using Regulation 22 (formerly known as Regulation 19).

“Such requests are an entirely standard and well established part of the development process and may require the applicant to carry our further studies.

“We understand the council’s own review confirms that our Environmental Statement already fully satisfies the requirements of the environmental regulations.

“We are in ongoing discussions with the planning officer at Milton Keynes Council to progress the application, so that when a decision is made, it is based on information that is as comprehensive as possible.”

However, Derek Beevor, from the Save Our Salcey campaign, which is fighting the wind factory proposal, believes the council request should act as a wake-up call for Ecotricity and that they should look elsewhere for a more suitable location.

He said: “We call upon Ecotricity to put the environment, protected species, local residents and Salcey Forest’s many visitors before profit by withdrawing this planning application.

“Practically all of the organisations that the developers are obliged to consult have raised objections to the proposal. The whole point of these consultations is to identify unacceptable risks, such as to wildlife and the environment.

“If Ecotricity was genuinely concerned about the environment then it would do the decent thing, take notice of what the experts have said and withdraw this planning application.”

For more information on the proposal, visit www.ecotricity.co.uk.

And for more on the Save Our Salcey campaign, visit www.saveoursalcey.com

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/10/08/wind-farm-battle-continues/