May 23, 2012
Wales

Anti-turbine petition bound for Welsh Assembly

South Wales Guardian, www.southwalesguardian.co.uk 23 May 2012

Campaigners fighting a plan to erect a wind turbine at Blaenau were handing in a petition at Carmarthenshire county council’s Llandeilo office this week.

It follows a stormy meeting at a packed Caerbryn Hall, when residents expressed fierce opposition to the proposal put forward by local businessman Alan Davies, of D J Davies Fuels Ltd.

L a s t week the Guardian r ev e a l e d that householders feared their lives would be blighted if the wind turbine was built on land off Pantyblodau Road.

The newly formed Saron, Llandybie And Penygroes Action Group (SLAP) have nowunanimously decided to present the petition against the application to the Welsh Assembly, as well as to local planners.

It is understood that their main concerns are noise disturbance, shadow flicker and visual and landscape impact.

Campaigner Bob Gunstone said locals were also angry about what they regarded as a lack of consultation.

“We received no consultation or presentations regarding this planning application until the meeting in Caerbryn Hall,” he said.

“All residents found out the hard way from planning department notices on lampposts just a fewweeks ago.

“Individual letters should continue to be sent to the Welsh Assembly Government.”

Angela Bowler, secretary of SLAP said: “Four weeks notice is an incredibly short period for an issue that is to impact on three wards and has probably taken four to five years to be brought to this stage.”

Mr Davies, who has said the turbine would safeguard 35 jobs, maintains it would be screened by trees and could be used as an educational resource for local schools.

He is also offering to make an annual community donation of £5,000-£6,000.

The plan is expected to go before county planners before the end of June.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/05/23/anti-turbine-petition-bound-for-welsh-assembly/