ScottishPower Renewables have a wealth of opportunities to plan and implement in off-shore locations, as well as other technologies including extensive tidal power alternatives.  We call on ScottishPower Renewables to now concentrate on these other opportunities and leave us alone. 

That will then enable ScottishPower Renewables to give the best value back to their shareholders without damaging the environment and still meeting their obligations on Renewable Energy.

It’s time the residents of The Lenches are allowed to resume living in peace, and to enjoy the peaceful harmony of the area.

One who knows when he can fight, and when he cannot fight, will be victorious.

SUN-TZU: "THE ART OF WAR"

At VVASP, we have consistently held the view that that this is an inappropriate location for the construction and operation of an Industrial Wind Power Station.

And, once again, the VVASP campaign to highlight the potentially damaging  visual impact is clearly vindicated in this, the second damning report of ScottishPower Renewables plans, the Environmental Impact Assesment and their processes for analysing and predicting the potential visual impact from the turbines.

The consultant’s report highlights numerous inconsistencies within the documents and ScottishPower Renewable’s contemptuous, arrogant and lackadaisical approach to presentation of the information, including ignoring Wychavon’s own directions, in their own words:

On ignoring Wychavon’s instructions:

"…  It is noted that this is to be subject to a separate design process and environmental assessment despite the Council in its scoping opinion stating that the impact of the scheme as a whole should be assessed. ”

commenting on the Photomontages, they say:

“The size of the images and wireframes in the ES appear to have been chosen for ease of fitting on an A3 size of paper, rather than accurately portraying the image.”

They also point out that the proposal will have significant adverse impact on the area and indeed would breach a number of policies including ENV1, CTC1, and CTC2

“The windfarm would be out of scale with and unsympathetic to the local landscape, such that its character would not be safeguarded, restored or enhanced by the proposed development. The proposal is therefore inappropriate to and will not integrate with local landscape character and is thus, in our opinion, contrary to policy ENV1 of the Wychavon Local Plan and policy CTC1 of the Worcestershire Structure Plan."

and they highlight quite a few significant effects including:

“.. there will be significant effects of the proposed development on some views from and on the setting of the Registered Park and Garden at Rous Lench Court (Grade II*). In our opinion there could also be significant effects on views from and on the setting of Ragley Hall Registered Park and Garden (Grade II*).

As we have said all along, this is an inappropriate location

We strongly advise everyone to download and read this report in full.

To download it, Click Here

The VVASP campaign to highlight the potential impact of noise from the planed industrial wind power generating plant is clearly vindicated in this damning report of ScottishPower Renewables plans, the Environmental Impact Assesment and their processes for analysing and predicting the potential impact of noise from the turbines.

The consultant’s report highlights numerous omissions, incorrect assumptions and inadequate assessments,  in their own words:

“It is apparent that there are numerous issues that need to be addressed and resolved before the suitability of the proposed wind farm should be considered for approval. In the absence of further information, the data presented thus far indicates the development is unsuitable in terms of the resulting noise likely to arise.”

We strongly advise everyone to download and read this report in full.

To download it, Click Here

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.

To be known as the  “Wind Turbines (Minimum Distances from Residential Premises) Act 2010”, it makes provision for a minimum distance between wind turbines and residential premises according to the size of the wind turbine; and for connected purposes.

In essence, it says that

No relevant authority may grant planning permission for the construction of a wind turbine generator unless it meets the minimum distance requirement.

unless

“The owners of ALL residential premises which fall within the minimum distance requirement for the proposed wind turbine generator MUST AGREE IN WRITING to the construction of the wind turbine generator.” Also small turbines under 25m to highest blade tip are exempt.

and it sets out those distances as:

If the height of the wind turbine generator is 
  (a) greater than 25m, but does not exceed 50m, the minimum distance requirement is 1000m;
  (b) greater than 50m, but does not exceed 100m, the minimum distance requirement is 1500m;
  (c) greater than 100m, but does not exceed 150m, the minimum distance requirement is 2000m;
  (d) greater than 150m, the minimum distance requirement is 3000m.

In essence this would put an immediate stop to the proposal of ScottishPower Renewables to construct 415 ft (40 storey high) alien structures in the Vale.

You can access the bill directly from the Government sited dedicated to this bill here: Click Here

Or download the bill from here: Right Click and ‘Save As’

“Confidence has been lost in the ETSU model”

4th June 2010
See original post here: http://www.cieh.org/ehn/ehn3.aspx?id=31194

The Department of Energy and Climate Change has commissioned fresh research on wind farm noise. The move, which has been welcomed by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) , comes despite ministerial assurances earlier this year that there were no plans to change the existing guidance on assessing and rating wind farm noise.

The guidance has become increasing controversial. Howard Price, CIEH principal policy officer, said: ‘The guidance currently in use, ETSU-R-97, is now more than 13 years old. It was developed before the current generation of large turbines began to be built and has had to modified unofficially in practice.’

Mr Price said that, despite its limitations, the guidance is referred to in the draft national policy statement for renewable energy, released last November. As an official consultee, the CIEH warned that future decisions based on ETSU would be unsafe.

Former energy minister, Lord Hunt, wrote last October in support of the use of ETSU-R-97 and junior minister David Kidney repeated in February that it gave ‘a reasonable degree of protection to wind farm neighbours’.

However, said Mr Price, it seems officials were already drafting specifications for new research. Two research tenders, one to analyse how noise impacts of wind farms are considered in planning and another to reassess the evidence base on reported noise complaints, were issued before the general election.

Mr Price added: ‘Confidence has been lost in the ETSU model and it is good that this has now been recognised. ‘Neither the government nor the energy providers could afford to risk planning consents being overturned because they were based on inadequate guidance. Hopefully, something everyone agrees on will emerge soon.’

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.

THE NEW MP representing the Lenches area has pledged to do everything she can to help campaigners in their battle against the Lenchwick windfarm.

Karen Lumley was elected to represent the Redditch County constituency – which following boundary changes now includes the Lenches – after beating former home secretary Jacqui Smith to the seat in the recent general election.

Speaking to the Observer Mrs Lumley said she realised the windfarm was the biggest, if not the only, issue for people in the area and would make good on her promise during the election campaign to back the Vale Villages Against Scottish Power (VVASP) group fighting proposals to install five 125 metre wind turbines in the Lenchwick area.

"It’s not my decision to make, it’s local councillors decision to make and I am sure they will make it without any influence from me or anybody else but I have spoken to many local residents and it is the biggest issue, it is the only issue, in the Lenches and I have been to see them, looked at their stuff and I will be helping them as much as I can," she said.

"I do understand a planning application is imminent and once we see it I need to sit down look at what the planning objections are and put the best way forward at which point I will be speaking to somebody higher up the chain to see what can be done to help them."

Mrs Lumley also took the opportunity to hit back at criticism from pro windfarm campaigners which stated her stance on the issue put her at odds with Prime Minister David Cameron’s enthusiasm for renewable energy.

"I am in favour of windfarms and I am in favour of renewable energy but I don’t think it is appropriate to have humongous windfarms very close to people’s houses," she said.

"There are places in Worcestershire where windfarms could go, I wouldn’t want to name places, but I do really believe that there (Lenchwick) is not an appropriate place for a windfarm."

Mrs Lumley has also pledged to support farmers, village shops, local pubs and hold regular surgeries in the Lenches.

"I want people to feel I am their Member of Parliament and not just MP for Redditch," she added.

Karen Lumley says the Lenchwick area is an inappropriate site for a windfarm. Picture by Nick Hands