ORA has extended the courtesy to Ill Wind, a group of local residents, to host their article about proposed wind turbine sites in Swindon Borough Council's Local Plan. This is entirely the work of Ill Wind and its publisher. Any comments should be directed to them.
Gone With The Wind
Last year saw 5 parish councils and well over 800 Swindon residents
taken aback by a Planning Department document that identified areas, including Highworth,
Hannington, South Marston, Tadpole Farm and the eastern villages of Wanborough
and Liddington as areas appropriate for wind turbines. In response, the residents and local parish councils
asked that the Local Plan should define a minimum separation distance between
any proposed wind turbines and residential housing.
There is nothing radical here, it's been adopted by other Councils
and figures in a bill before Parliament for a national planning restriction.
Hopes were raised when Councillor Dale Heenan, speaking of the Local Plan, said ‘the
specific wording is still being discussed but I wouldn’t be surprised if it
includes separation distances of 1km’. In the event, and despite Dale Heenan’s
best intentions, the Planning Department’s views prevailed and the proposed Development
Plan does not include a minimum separation distance.
Ill Wind, a group of local residents, successfully opposed a
planning application for wind turbines overlooking Stratton and South Marston.
They were concerned about the growing evidence about impacts on health,
disturbance from noise and shadow flicker and the damaging effects on neighbourhoods
that would be overlooked by giant moving structures of a size that would dwarf
any building currently in Swindon .
Ill Wind are urging Swindon
residents who don’t want to live too close to wind turbines to voice their
objections to the anti-democratic way the Local Plan is bypassing the
consultation process and being railroaded through to a February 21st
deadline. If you are interested, and want to help, visit their website, illwind.co.uk, for more details or you
can write directly to forwardplanning@swindon.gov.uk or Planning
Service, Freepost SCE5251, Swindon Borough
Council, 5th Floor, Wat Tyler House West, Beckhampton Street , Swindon
SN1 2JH
Having read this it is interesting to note that Cllr Dale Heenan raised hopes and dashed them. It would appear that he does not have control over planning policy at SBCx and councillors are responsible for policy. I do hope that people will write in to SBC and object as Ill Wind are not being listened to - a common complaints amongst the grass roots, community organisations.
