January 27, 2012
England

MPs join forces for Wolds protection

Driffield Times & Post, www.driffieldtoday.co.uk 26 January 2012

Anne McIntosh MP has joined Godfrey Bloom MEP and Greg Knight MP in speaking out against the proposed wind farm development in Hunmanby.

Banks Renewables, developers of the South Dale wind farm site, have announced their final project layout of nine wind turbines, and it is causing a great deal of debate.

“I have always been very clear that I stood at the election on a pledge to oppose wind farms,” said Miss McIntosh, MP for Thirsk and Malton, in a letter to the ‘No to Wolds Wind Farm’ group.

She agreed to resist wind farm developments in her constituency and described wind turbines as “unreliable, dependent on hidden government subsidies and grossly inefficient in delivering a renewable mix of energy.”

The wind turbines are each set to measure 132 metres to blade tip and many locals believe they will blight the landscape.

“I have written to Charles Hendry MP, minister of state, department for energy and climate change, expressing my concerns,” Anne confirmed. “I will inform the minister that the Yorkshire Wolds are not a suitable location for wind energy turbines”.

These latest revelations mean that there is now a major democratic force against the South Dale Hunmanby, Heslerton and Thornholme wind farm developments.

Steve Hey, chairman of the ‘No to Wolds Wind Farm’ group said: “We are delighted that Anne has now joined Godfrey and Greg in the battle against this ineffective technology and hope that Charles Hendry MP will agree with the latest regional reports sent, which clearly show that the Yorkshire Wolds is not the place for this sort of development.”

The Yorkshire Wolds is already deemed an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) locally, however this has yet to be officially recognised and the ‘No to Wolds Wind Farm’ group has stated on many occasions that Natural England already has the legal powers to protect a landscape under such threat.

“We currently have all the tools to hand to bring the Yorkshire Wolds into line with its bigger brothers, the Yorkshire dales and moors. We have asked that our MPs now request an extra level of protection for the Wolds area at a parliament level,” Hey added.

“We would also like to request that Welcome to Yorkshire and Visit Hull & East Riding (VHEY) publically back our AONB campaign. Surely with this new democratic force and the massive tourism promotions now underway, the time has come to preserve our heritage and define the Wolds future?”

Greg Knight MP is currently looking into this and has asked for any groups with information on previous attempts to protect this landscape to contact his office.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/01/27/mps-join-forces-for-wolds-protection/