September 21, 2013
England

New wind farm fear for Ince Blundell villagers

Sep 19 2013 by Jamie Bowman, Crosby Herald, crosbyherald.co.uk

Villagers in Ince Blundell have criticised Sefton Council after it seemed to leave the door open for wind farms to be built on nearby farmland.

Residents have seized upon a section of the council’s Local Plan which includes a study into the possibility of allowing a “large scale grid-connected renewable energy infrastructure”.

The site suggested for such a facility is land to the west of the village near the Lady Green garden centre.

The new threat comes on the back of existing plans for wind turbines on land across the West Lancashire border near the River Alt.

Ince Bundell resident Finlay Scott said: “It is bad enough to have the threat of an industrial scale wind farm in an adjacent local planning authority but it is unforgivable that our own local authority should be proposing a second such wind farm.”

A Sefton Council spokesman said: “Part of the Local Plan mentions that an area near Ince Blundell was identified in a 2011 study as having some potential for onshore wind energy.

“However, the study did not identify ‘preferred areas’ for wind farms and was not intended to cover the detailed planning issues that might come up if an application was ever received.

“If a proposal did come forward, planning considerations would include impact on local residents, potential noise or light pollution, the affect on the character of the landscape and flood risk issues. In addition, it would need to demonstrate that the wider benefits of the development outweigh the potential harm to the green belt.

“Although Ince Blundell is mentioned, this is not a planning application and a full assessment of the area’s suitability has not taken place. As with any aspects of the Local Plan, we would encourage people to give us their views and they will be considered as part of the public consultation which closes on September 27.”

A presentation on the wind farm plans is being held at Ince Blundell Village Hall on Tuesday, September 24 at 7.30pm.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/09/21/new-wind-farm-fear-for-ince-blundell-villagers/