March 23, 2016
England

Police spent £85k on failed wind turbine scheme

Tom Wright | North Somerset Times | 22 March 2016 | www.northsomersettimes.co.uk

A 145-foot high turbine was proposed by the police for its headquarters off Valley Road in Portishead.

The force said the turbine would not only help the environment but cut its costs too – saving money to protect frontline policing.

But the Times can reveal the doomed plan cost Avon and Somerset police more than £85,000 – by comparison the force pays officers a starting salary of £19-22,000.

The police said: “Every care was taken to ensure that all potential impacts of the turbine were understood and could be avoided or mitigated where appropriate.

“All project management was within existing resources and at no extra cost.”

The force also says it would have made the £85,894 it spent back through savings, had the wind turbine been given planning permission by North Somerset Council.

It said: “Pre-planning costs were set against predicted grid electricity savings of £41,810 and a feed-in tariff generation income of £61,962 per annum at that time, meaning pre-planning costs would be paid back in the first year of generation. These financial benefits would also of course have been coupled with a predicted reduction in the constabulary’s annual carbon emissions of 227 tonnes.”

Avon and Somerset Constabulary has sought advice since the wind turbine was rejected by the council and has no plans to appeal the decision at this stage.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2016/03/23/police-spent-85k-on-failed-wind-turbine-scheme/