November 8, 2011
England

Mast approval sparks more wind farm fears

Leighton Buzzard Observer, www.leightonbuzzardonline.co.uk 8 November 2011

Protesters were left undaunted after losing the first round in their fight to halt a wind farm near Stoke Hammond.

Campaigners turned out in force to hear Aylesbury Vale District Council’s development control committee push through a scheme to erect a met mast in a field off Dorcas Lane – but they slashed its length of stay from five years to two years.

Residents now fear that applicants, Force 9 and EDF, won’t hang around for two years and believe a planning application for the wind farm will be submitted within the month.

Only one councillor opposed the plan, UKIP’s Chris Adams, who called on the authority to listen to the voice of the people. Nearly 2,000 people have signed a petition opposing both the mast and the potential windfarm which is set to follow it.

But the general mood of the committee was that they were helpless to block the mast plan because of the Government’s encouragement for renewable energy schemes. Councillor Corry Cashman again called for a local policy to guide the authority on future schemes – and the first stage of that will come tomorrow (Wednesday) at the AVDC environment scrutiny committee when members will consider evidence about the concept.

At present there is the likelihood of 17 wind turbines in the Vale near Leighton – eight at Wingrave, four at Wing and five near Dorcas Lane along with another eight further afield in AVDC’s plot. Central Beds Council has approved one in Double Arches Quarry, Heath and Reach which another may be on the cards for the Vandyke Works, in Mile Tree Road, also in Heath and Reach.

Councillors from the development control committee went on a foot march through the open countryside to see the site of the proposed mast with the site being tagged with someone’s yellow coat on a pole.

But after driving and walking around the area the committee agreed the mast saying that they couldn’t allow the potential prospect of a wind farm on the site to sway their judgement.

Read today’s LBO for the full story.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/11/08/mast-approval-sparks-more-wind-farm-fears/