October 24, 2014
England

Battle on against Workington turbines

Times & Star | 24 October 2014 | www.timesandstar.co.uk

A Seaton councillor has appealed to residents to write letters of objection against plans for three wind turbines close to the village.

Coun Celia Tibble made the call at a meeting of Seaton Parish Council on Monday.

Iggesund Paperboard at Siddick, Workington, submitted plans to Allerdale council for the 360 foot turbines and infrastructure earlier this month.

The first would be situated near Hazel Grove, the second near the cycle track and the third near Siddick Pond.

The parish council agreed to write a letter of objection to Allerdale council.

Coun Tibble and councillor Julie Norman started a petition against the turbines after seeing a public notice about the scheme. They collected more than 300 signatures.

Coun Tibble said on Monday: “On our Facebook page No to Windturbines in Seaton, I have posted links to the Allerdale planning site which will give people advice about how best to write a letter of objection.

“We have found out that not much weight is put on petitions and template letters so I would urge people to write their own letters.

“The consultation ends on November 7 so people must hurry to get their objections in.

“There are so many issues as to why we should object to these including them being within 800 metres of several dwellings, the cumulative visual impact they will cause and their proximity to Siddick Pond which is an award-winning nature reserve.”

At a public consultation during the summer residents expressed their concern about the proximity of the turbines to their homes.

Plans showed that the three masts would generate combined energy of up to nine megawatts.

The construction period would be between six and nine months.

A spokesman for Iggesund Paperboard said recently: “As a large employer in the area we are mindful of our impact on the local community.

“We are grateful for the input at this meeting and we will be incorporating these views into our planning considerations ahead of submitting any application.

“We are seeking to further develop our energy security and continue to lower our impact on the climate.

“These investments are important for us in a highly competitive market place.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/10/24/battle-on-against-workington-turbines/