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9 Nov  -  Cleek Hall Wind farm  Refused by Selby Planning Committee

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Wind turbines are as well as, not instead of the power stations

The meeting was held in the impressive new Council Chamber and was attended by 50 members of the public who live in Selby District and are concerned about the threat posed by so many wind turbine applications.
The meeting started with a statement from Nigel Adams ( MP for Selby and Ainsty)  which was read out in full. He spoke about residential amenity and of the impact that it would have on people close by. He also spoke about the visual impact and how the wind farm would detract from the open nature of the landscape and the impact this would have on the wealth of historic buildings in the area. His statement included a number of issues that should be addressed concerning noise and also about limiting the time for which people should be subject to uncertainty about wind farm proposals.  
This was followed by a presentation from the planning officer who described the site and set out the proposal in some detail. This was followed by her recommendation that the plan should be approved. This was hinged upon “the main issue is to consider where the balance lies between the adverse effects of the proposed development when weighed against the widely accepted benefits of renewable energy generation.”
Speakers opposing the application were
Tony Wray - a resident of Barlow which is the village closest to the site, who spoke on hebalf of people in Barlow and other villages close to the site.
Cllr McSherry - speaking on behalf of the villagers in Cliffe.
Cllr Mark Crane - speaking further about the impact on Barlow and its residents.
The main themes of the presentations and the discussion that followed were:-
A recognition of the need to reduce CO2 emissions, but Selby District has projects underway which will make a far larger contribution than that which could be delivered by the wind turbines.
That local residents are not opposed to renewable energy and that there is active support for other projects, especially where they bring jobs to the area and fit with existing expertise and a suitable skilled labour force.
Issues such as flicker, noise, the adverse impact on residents, the impact on the long distance views that are so characteristic of Selby District,  and leisure were all discussed.
The overall impression you were left with was that the councillors were well informed. The benefits of this application simply did not exceed the harm that it would do. The District has far better ways of reducing CO2 emissions and that the target for renewable energy can be greatly exceeded by projects which have a good level of support from people living in the area.
The decision should be seen as a good example of localism at work.   

Barlow, Birkin, Beal, Burton Salmon, Brotherton, Byram, Cliffe, Hillam, Monk Fryston, Gateforth, Hambleton, Thorpe Willoughby and West Haddlesey all had representatives present.

People care for the environment around Selby and are prepared to stand up against the threat that wind turbines could industrialise the countryside.  Selby District has better way to achieve and exceed renewable energy targets which are less damaging to the rural environment.

Councillors show commitment to Selby District and its residents.

Cleek Hall wind farm was one of two items considered at the planning meeting. The discussion by the Councillors showed that they hold the quality of life and the economy of the District to be their priority concern.

The wind farm was recommended for approval by the planning officer, but rejected by the committee because of the visual impact and loss of residential amenity for those living close to it.

This is localism as it should be with locally elected councillors considering the local issues and making a decision based on the impact on local people.

However the impact on the local economy was also a major consideration with the proposed biomass plant at Drax being seen as a valuable contribution to the generation of renewable energy, while at the same time as bringing new permanent jobs to the area.

The new Council offices


The meeting was held in the new council offices alongside the new Memorial Hospital. A great opportunity for the people to see how their money is being spent and how their councillors are looking after their interests.

The council meeting room had been set out with seating for up to 90 members of the public to attend and a ticket system on the door was used to allocate seat. Everything went very smoothly.

Presentation of information was supported by two large screen displays and a microphone system made it easy to hear - once people had been reminded to speak close to the microphones.

Over 50 people turned up and the feedback was all very positive about all aspects of the meeting.


How planning meetings work

If you have never attended a planning meeting you should consider doing so.

If not you might be interested in watching a video from one in Hertfordshire where a single turbine was considered.

Wind turbines are very unpopular and you can see from this why there are so few of them in South East England.

Watch by clicking here

Scroll through for about 5 minutes to the proper start of the meeting. There is no sound at the start. You can skip through the speakers if you wish and just listen to the debate at the end, and watch the vote.  The quality is impressive.

Some of the villagers before the meeting in the Selby Council Office.