July 29, 2017
England

Huge windfarm for Cornwall rejected

POLL: Huge windfarm for Cornwall rejected | Pirate FM News | 29th July 2017 | www.piratefm.co.uk

The government says the scheme near Week St Mary would be “an alien presence”.

Developers say our energy bills will ultimately go up, unless ministers support onshore turbines.

Good Energy Generation Ltd first put in an application for Creddacott Farm back in 2014.

That was rejected by Cornwall Council after a string of complaints from locals and parish councils.

Now the Secretary of State has rejected an appeal, which lasted for over a year.

North Cornwall MP Scott Mann said: “I’m very pleased by this decision today. For many months, local residents, parish councils and I have been working together to voice all of our concerns about the impacts this wind farm would have on the beautiful North Cornwall landscape and local heritage assets.

“I have been standing shoulder-to-shoulder with local communities on this issue since I became an MP in 2015 to absolutely ensure local views are not ignored and, after a lengthy appeal process, I’m very pleased that our concerns have been considered by both the Planning Inspectorate and the Communities Secretary who have recognised that the negative impacts of this wind farm would outweight any benefits.

“I’d also like to thank Cllr Nicky Chopak for work in opposing this wind farm on behalf of local residents.

“In 2015, the Conservative government said it would give local communities a louder voice when it came to wind farm proposals and the concerns of local residents in Week St Mary and surrounding communities have certainly been listened to. This proposal has been one of the biggest local issues to come across my desk during my time as an MP and I’m very pleased we have managed to achieve the best possible outcomes for the local area and its residents”.

During the appeal process, a public inquiry was held in Launceston between April and May 2016 where members of the public could submit statements in favour or against the proposals.

This included local councillors and Scott Mann, who submitted both written and oral evidence against the proposals because of the widespread objection from local communities.

Explaining why the appeal had been refused, the Secretary of State said he agreed with the conclusion of the Planning Inspector that “there would be harm caused to the significance of a number of designated heritage assets” and that the size and layout of the 11 wind turbines would be “an incongruous presence of significant scale” which would harm the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Heritage Coast.

The Secretary of State did recognise the benefits of the wind farm in terms of renewable energy production which received “significant weight” when reaching a decision.

However, Sajid Javid concluded that any benefits of the wind farm did not outweigh the negative impacts upon the landscape and local heritage assets, also recognising that the proposal did not have the backing of the local community.