March 11, 2012
England

More turbines on the horizon

Daventry Express, www.daventryexpress.co.uk 10 March 2012

It has emerged that another wind farm application could be lodged on the edge of Daventry.

The news came as councillors debated criticising the planning inspectorate for overturning local decisions rejecting applications, including those for wind turbines.

At a meeting of Daventry District Council on Thursday last week members were asked to support sending a letter to Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

The letter asks him to look at improving the way planning inspectors reach their decisions.

During the debate Cllr Tony Scott said: “This council has been trying for two years or more to make the Government see sense.

“Common sense does not seem to prevail it seems.”

Cllr Scott recently quit the Conservative party over its national policy on wind farms which prevents local councillors taking things like efficiency into consideration when looking at applications.

He went on to say: “Only today I was handed a letter from Goah Energy saying they were looking at putting wind turbines between Badby and Staverton.”

Several councillors voiced opinions that the planning appeal process was weighted towards developers and that some decisions by inspectors to go against local feeling and decisions were not transparent.

Introducing the motion, Cllr Deanna Eddon pointed out that only one person decides on appeals and no guarantees could be given that a different inspector would reach a different decision.

The council resolved to write to Mr Pickles asking for changes to the planning appeals to give local people more confidence in the process and final decision.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/03/11/more-turbines-on-the-horizon/