The fight goes on…and we continue to challenge the plans to erect 15 x 120 metre high wind turbines between Salcey Forest and Stoke Park Wood. As a result of our efforts and Milton Keynes Council (MKC) maintaining that the developer must comply with the outstanding Regulation 19 issued by Milton Keynes Council, Ecotricity has finally verbally agreed to undertake further bat surveys, which we have always maintained are needed. We continue to maintain that properly conducted surveys will demonstrate that the level of wildlife activity at this sensitive site is more significant than Ecotricity’s flawed surveys show, and the proposed development will result in significant threat to several rare bat and bird species. This is also the opinion of independent & well respected experts in these fields.
By David Evans
The debate about global warming has reached ridiculous proportions and is full of micro-thin half-truths and misunderstandings. I am a scientist who was on the carbon gravy train, understands the evidence, was once an alarmist, but am now a skeptic. Watching this issue unfold has been amusing but, lately, worrying. This issue is tearing society apart, making fools out of our politicians.
RWE Npower’s attempt to prevent Milton Keynes Council from setting a minimum distance that turbines can be built next to people’s homes has been decided in the High Court by Judge John Howell QC.
Of the four grounds contested by RWE Npower, which saw them try and find Milton Keynes Council’s Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) unlawful, the Council won three.
Ecotricity submitted their planning application for 15 giant turbines at Salcey Forest in April 2011. The planning application was flawed, so Milton Keynes Council wrote to Ecotricity asking them to supply more information and wildlife surveys. To date, Ecotricity have still not supplied the information, so the planning application remains in limbo for the time being.
We expect that during the early part of 2013 Ecotricity will either supply the missing information, or simply refuse to provide the Council with any more information, or further wildlife surveys. With or without the missing information, Milton Keynes Council will probably hear the planning application in mid 2013. We will let you know when we have a firm date for the planning application hearing.
MASSIVE subsidies for the onshore wind industry have again been called into question by a new study which found that the effective lifespan of turbines is much shorter than has previously been claimed.
The study – which examined the performance of wind farms in the UK and Denmark – says the economic life of onshore turbines is between 10 and 15 years, not the 20 to 25 projected by the wind industry itself and used for Government energy projections.
It says that by 10 years of age, the contribution of an average UK wind farm to meeting electricity demand has dropped by a third.
Milton Keynes Council did not bend to the legal threat made by the German energy giant RWE npower. The Council voted tonight (4th July 2012) to back local residents and officially adopt the new planning policy, which recommends that very large wind turbines should be kept 1,200 metres away from people’s homes.
RWE npower, the German energy giant, is threatening to take Milton Keynes Council to court over plans to stop big turbines being built less than 1.2km from housing.
click on the link below to see the full article
Milton Keynes Council are proposing to update their planning rules that determine how close wind turbines can be built to houses, bridleways and footpaths.
Please attend the meeting and show your support for the new policy. It is very important that as many people as possible turn up. The meeting is on:
WEDNESDAY 4TH JULY AT 6PM
In the Council Chamber, Council Offices, Central Milton Keynes.
We still don’t know when the council will decide this planning application. Last October 2011 Milton Keynes Council ruled that Ecotricity’s planning application did not contain sufficient environmental information. (Regulation 19)
Ecotricity have now submitted some extra information but in the opinion of the SOS group this new information falls far short of the Councils Regulation 19 request.
