WIND FARM PLANNING APPLICATION COMES OFF THE RAILS

KNOll to Windfarm has been informed that Ecotricity, the developer of the proposed wind farm between Burnham-on-Sea and Brent Knoll has submitted amendments to its planning application at the 11^th hour.

Andrew Manning, spokesperson for the Action Group commented

“We are surprised at the amendment to the application; we recall that Ecotricity’s Chief Executive commented in the press at the time of the application being submitted that the application

“is a very robust one and it can and will meet any criticism thrown at it”

Since then Ecotricity, which took at least 6 months to prepare its application, has had to submit additional details about access, and now has been forced to moved the proposed location further away from the railway lines as the original location of the turbines contravened Government policies and presented a serious safety risk to the West Coat main line.

We also recall that it had misquoted a report by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors on its website- which it amended when we pointed this out- and has also been reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority for claims it made about another of its developments.

This leads us to worry how professional the developer actually is, and whether there is anything else that Ecotricity has omitted, forgotten, or needs to change in its application. Clearly, Ecotricity has its own interpretation of what “robust” means!

We are also puzzled at the need to move the potential location; surely if these turbines are as robust a structure as claimed then there can be no danger of collapse if they are located, as originally proposed, closer to the railway lines? What about the danger to public rights of way, houses, village facilities, and the local school?

Surely this revision to the application is a tacit admission of risk? Either that, or is an act of expediency to remove an objection from Network Rail. Again this would not fill us full of confidence. No doubt Sedgemoor’s Planning department and Planning Committee will be as perplexed and concerned as we are.”

Contact: Andrew Manning 07765 896781