May 10, 2016
England

Fun in Sutton St Edmund as residents pay off £51,000 wind turbine fight bill

09 May 2016 | www.spaldingtoday.co.uk

Residents of Sutton St Edmund are determined to have fun on the way as they pay off the remainder of a £51,000-plus bill from their successful fight to derail a planned wind farm.

So far they have raised about £29,000, including £1,280 from the May Fete held at Guanock House on Saturday.

It’s three years since FenRATs (Fenland Residents Against Turbines) won an epic victory against Wind Ventures Ltd who had wanted to site six turbines, each the size of Salisbury Cathedral, at Treading Field.

Michelle Coleman, from FenRATs, said they’re holding a series of community events to pay off loans so the fundraising becomes enjoyable, and members would welcome any ideas about the kind of things they could stage in the future.

Saturday’s event included Morris Dancing and a Maypole, vintage vehicles, arts and craft stalls as well as some wonderful homemade refreshments.

The next event is an Elvis tribute, Tony G, who will appear at the village hall with Tempus Flight on May 21.

For tickets to the music night or to suggest fundraising ideas visit www.fenrats.com

• In October 2013, the bill for fighting the turbines – including paying lawyers and experts who represented FenRATs at a planning inquiry – was estimated at £40,000 but the final amount grew to £51,704.

FenRATs have met all the bills but needs to pay back the loans that enabled them to do that.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2016/05/10/fun-in-sutton-st-edmund-as-residents-pay-off-51000-wind-turbine-fight-bill/