August 8, 2012
England

Praise for Cleek Hall wind farm protesters

By Dan Bean | The Press | www.yorkpress.co.uk 8 August 2012

Opponents of controversial plans to build a wind farm near Selby have praised the public and the council for standing up to developers at a recent public inquiry.

Plans to build five 127-metre wind turbines at Cleek Hall, Cliffe, which could provide enough electricity for between 4,905 and 5,887 homes per year, attracted objections from local councils, but conservation groups English Heritage, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and North Yorkshrie County Council all reported no objections.

Last year, council planning officers refused the £12 million development, and developers Hallam Land Management lodged an appeal with Selby District Council against the decision in March.

The appeal went to a four-day public inquiry, which included site visits by developers last week, and saw residents and even the MP for Selby and Ainsty put forward their views.

In a statement to the inquiry, Nigel Adams MP, said: “I am opposed to wind farms in on-shore locations where average wind speed is low and the power generated is insufficient to warrant the harm that wind farms do to rural environment.

“Wind farms do not enhance the quality of life for residents and do not provide local job opportunities. Selby has other means of generating renewable energy which are far more productive, less disruptive to the local economy and create more jobs.”

Howard Ferguson, who has opposed the plans since they were announced, said: “It was very reassuring to see that Selby Council put in a lot of effort to defend the appeal in what from the outset was a David and Goliath struggle.

“It really was a battle over Cleek Hall. It takes real courage and commitment to give a speech at an Inquiry and be prepared to be cross examined by one of the sharpest planning barristers in the country, but that is what the residents of Barlow and Cliffe were prepared to do to protect the countryside around their homes.”

The results of the appeal should be released in the next two months.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/08/08/praise-for-cleek-hall-wind-farm-protesters/