LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

MP hits out at council planners over wind turbine plans 

Credit:  By Mark Stead, Political Reporter | York Press | 19th March 2014 | /www.yorkpress.co.uk ~~

A York MP has accused council bosses of failing to follow planning laws over potential schemes to build wind turbines in countryside near the city.

“Screening opinions” have been sent to City of York Council to decide whether studies of how masts at Murton Moor and Kexby would affect their surroundings environment are needed before full planning applications can be submitted.

The authority has said this will be not be needed for the Murton Moor site – where a turbine higher than York Minster could be built – but York Outer MP Julian Sturdy said he believed the council had made a mistake by reasoning that an environmental impact assessment (EIA) was only required for schemes with five or more masts.

He said EIAs had been necessary for single-turbine projects in other parts of the UK, and the need for them depended on issues such as size, location and the likely impact on the environment, rather than simply the number of turbines.

The Kexby turbine planned for My House Farm, near the A1079, would be 50 metres high, with its blade tips reaching 77 metres. Mr Sturdy said: “I am very concerned to learn the council may have failed to follow the appropriate guidance on these screening opinions for wind turbines in York’s green belt.

“EIAs are an important means of scrutinising applications and I am frustrated the developer has managed to skip an important hurdle in their quest for a turbine at Murton Moor. I sincerely hope the council will review its position ahead of the Kexby proposal.”

Mike Slater, the council’s assistant director of city and environmental services, said the council had “complied with the appropriate legislation” in both cases, and the environmental effects of the Murton Moor proposal were not considered “significant” enough to warrant an EIA.

He said an EIA was not needed for every wind turbine scheme, but said: “Even if an EIA is not required, the council would still require all environmental impacts to be addressed if a planning application is subsequently submitted.

“The final decision would have regard to all material planning considerations and would include an assessment of the environmental impact of the proposal.”

Source:  By Mark Stead, Political Reporter | York Press | 19th March 2014 | /www.yorkpress.co.uk

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon