Next time you come and enjoy the wonderful landscape that exists in the Lenches, either just to pass through, or to enjoy the Blossom trail, pause for moment and take a closer look.

The Lenches now has, per house more solar PV panels, Solar thermal panels, air source and ground source heat pumps in operation than any of the other villages in the Vale!

So, if you want to find out how You can really do Your bit for the environment, just come and visit us. 

(p.s if you can’t see the panels, it’s because a lot of the Lenches is a conservation area, and they have been discretely installed on roofs and in areas that don’t face the road!)

(Yes that’s correct, they’ve submitted a planning application, and don’t even now if they can get the bits there yet!)

If the ScottishPower Renewables plans for an Industrial Wind Power Plant are approved, then there could be up to 2500 trucks trundling through Norton and Harvington.

On top of that they have to get the massive Turbine towers  and 46.5m long (that’s the size of one half of a football pitch) turbine blades up to the site, and they have two options, their preferred route is via Norton and Harvington and this is what they would look like:

So to tell them what you think – turn out on Leys Road Harvington between 10:20 am and 11:30 am on Tuesday 17th August and JUST SAY NO to ScottishPower Renewables.

There plans including hauling: 2,500 Lorries (EACH WAY!), 40,000 Tonnes Aggregate, 5,000 Tonnes Concrete through Harvington, just ask yourself:

Where Will You Park?

How Safe will your  Children be?

How Noisy will it be?

What Damage will it do?

How Dirty will they be?

To date more than 700 individually written letters of objection have been sent to the council with over 95 % of them coming from local residents, yet less than 30 letters of support have been sent in, with a very significant proportion being from people that don’t live locally!

The Message to Wychavon Councillors and Planners is Clear!

This development is not wanted!

Apart from the arguments about ineffectiveness which are well proven (See The Wind Farm Scam (Independent Minds) by John Etherington), the massive destruction of the visual amenity value of the area, and clear breaches of Planning Policy, the Councillors and Planners have a clear mandate to refuse this planning application.

This mandate is also underwritten by the Government’s policy that planning applications of this nature should not be forced through against the wishes of the local community.

So, a big thank you to all of you that took the time and effort to put your own thoughts and feelings down on paper, you all made great points, and it all helps to get the message over to the planners and councillors.

Over 400 letters were delivered in just one batch and more than 300 others have been individually posted.

There is a lot of information, you do not need to include all of it. 

They key thing is that there are only certain reasons that can be used for an objection to be valid so please read the model letter carefully.

Most important is to just put in a few comments about the topics that are of most concern to you.

It is important that you get your letter written before July 23rd and to us (or posted to Wychavon) by July 24th

Objections are valid for each and every house member over the age of 16.

So please remember to send a separate letter from each and everyone over 16. Each one counts separately. If you sign the letter jointly, it only counts as one.

Also remember to ask your family, friends and neighbours to do the same.

To ensure that letters are properly counted by Wychavon we have arranged for you to be able to drop the letters off locally and we will then take them to Wychavon and get a receipt for it.

‘Right Click’ and ‘Save As’ :  Objection Template Letter for the Planning Application

If you wish to object online, go here (Click on ‘Comment on Application’, then remember to select the ‘Object’ radio button)

http://bit.ly/ObjectToPlanningApplication

Our local letter drops are:

Driftway, Evesham Road, Church Lench (Through the door NOT the outside letter box) and

The Old Chapel, Atch Lench, WR11 4SW (in the box on the wall)

If you need your letter collected please let us know – call Rod on 07929 671019 or your village rep click here: Village Reps

Many thanks for your support.

Kind regards,

Rod Stroud and The VVASP team.

PUBLIC MEETINGS

At Church Lench Village Hall

Saturday 3rd July at 10 am prompt

and

Monday 5th July at 8pm prompt

Please wait before writing your objection letters,

You have until 31st July to write

You will need the right information, which must be on planning grounds for your letter to be effective

We will give you full details on WHEN and WHAT to write in YOUR letter of objection so that it counts.

VVASP will also show further information from the application including PhotoMontages – juts what they WILL look like if they are allowed to go ahead.

We have more ‘NO’ Boards available for YOUR house, (FOC) please call Rod on 871086 and we will arrange to put them up for you.

Noise:

Dr Nina Pierpoint, Author of Wind Turbine Syndrome, visit her site WindTurbineSyndrome.com get an extract of her book click here Sample Pages and here for the Executive Summary, also check out all the peer reviews.

A paper by Dr Chris Hanning, Consultant, Sleep Disorders Clinic, Leicester General Hospital entitled “Sleep Disturbance and Wind Turbine Noise” click here to download.

Dr A Harry, on Wind Turbines: Noise and Health, click here.

If you are heavily into the science of acoustics, you might want to read the definitive NASA report from  Hubbard and Sheppard 13th Feb 2009, (2oMb) click here to download.

And here’s what our own NHS has to say on the subject, click here

House Prices:

Details of the house price reduction after a court ruling, and council tax reduction click here to see the article.

Details of the High Court case for noise nuisance against the wind farm operator backed by their house insurer, click here to see the article.

Forever? It’s a matter of interpretation.

A recent windfarm planning application was turned down on appeal by the Inspector on the grounds “I have also borne in mind the fact that planning permission is sought for a period of 25 years. However, as such a time period is roughly a third of an average lifetime I have some difficulty in regarding it a “temporary” in any real sense.” – So what is the opposite of temporary? Permanent? Forever? Click here to download the document from the government’s website.

And for more evidence look at the Wind Industry’s own body, the BWEA, which is funded by and represents the interests of the Wind Power developers, and operates a large, well financed PR and lobbying campaign to ensures its views are represented in all government bodies and quangos, take a look at its database of exiting sites and planned developments – just note the number of  second phases, repowering  and extensions. Click Here for the Current Installations , click here for those with Planning Permission Consented  and here for those Under Construction and here for those in Planning.

In summary that is 2759 turbines in current operation with a theoretical maximum capacity of 4,115 MW and another 6,963 turbines with a theoretical maximum capacity of 18,839 MW consented, under construction or in planning.  That’s the equivalent of lining every single motorway covering the whole country with a turbine at every 350 meters.  And based on Scottish Power’s figures you’d need to build 3 ADDITIONAL Drax powerstations to back them up for when the wind doesn’t blow!

10am

meet at The Lenches Club

CHOICE OF TWO LENGTHS OF WALKS

COME AND SUPPORT VVASP

THE WINDFARM PLANNING APPLICATION IS EXPECTED TO BE IN THE NEW YEAR

DROP IN SESSIONS WILL BE ARRANGED AS SOON AS WE HAVE A FIRM DATE

Come and join the fun at 7pm on Saturday 12th September.

Tickets £5 which includes a  Buffet , or just come along and cheer your village team followed by the Grand Raffle Draw, with Amazing prizes.

Tickets for sale on the night or from your village Rep. (see Contacts)

We have two walks organised. A 5km circular route around the Church Lench area for the younger, less adventurous walkers, and a 10km walk for those looking for more of a challenge which will take in the locations of both of the met (wind measuring) masts.

Join us then for a BBQ to be held at the Sports Club in Church Lench, where once again you will have another opportunity to get yourself up to date with the latest information.

We are very grateful to Dudley’s Coaches that are providing the transport to the start of the 10km walk near Harvington, (there will be a nominal charge for this)

Both Walks:

SUNDAY 10th MAY
10.30am 

5KM or 10KM

meet at

Church Lench Village Hall,
Church Lench , 10:30 am

followed by
BBQ at THE LENCHES SPORTS FIELD

Transport has been arranged from Church Lench to the start of the 10km walk at a nominal charge.

See the original post here

A KARATE instructor is using his skills in self defence to defend the environment.

Tony Johnson of Church Lench organised a ‘breakathon’ on Tuesday in which he broke breezeblocks, tiles and bricks with his bare hands in order to raise money to fight plans to build a windfarm in the village.

Tony was being sponsored for every item he broke and will pass the money onto VVASP(Vale Villages Against Scottish Power), a group against the proposed windfarm.

He said: “The reason people live here is for the incredible views but that would be ruined by these turbines. We have got to find another way to generate power. These turbines would be built very close to houses and be very intrusive.”