WIND Farm Inquiry, Your report in Cambs Times January 14, 2011.
In your article in last weeks Cambs Times you reported that Councillor Martin Curtis, former Chairman of the Planning Committee, as saying, “Fenland has done its bit as far as wind turbines go, unlike previous wind farm applications, Fenland now has quite a robust policy in place which provides a basis to resist where previously it was difficult”.
I can only presume he has a not read the policy that was approved on the 30 July 2009 by Cabinet. The policy states that “ there is further capacity for wind turbines” it also states “that proposals cannot be turned down solely on the grounds that there are too many turbines already and that because a target has been reached cannot be used in itself for refusing planning permission”.
The only reason it was difficult to resist in the past was that despite the District Council actually encouraging the wind industry to build these large structures in our countryside, they took nearly 8 years before they even began to try and formulate a policy to control such development.
The Council recently refused a second turbine at Longhill, March, on the grounds that “it would result in a material change and have an overpowering effect on the landscape”. On appeal the Planning Inspector stated “he found no material conflict with the Councils current policy on wind turbine development” and allowed the appeal..
People like me and many other residents have for many years been saying, Fenland District Council needed a policy to control these large developments at the outset, the current, so called policy, is confusing, contradictory and not understood by even the past chairman of our Planning Committee.
I always was under the impression that “Town and Country Planning” was to control development as it took place not after the damage was done, as has happened under Martin Curtis’s control.
I have said it in the past and will say it again, Fenland District Council have allowed our unique landscape to be destroyed by lack of proper planning control and we, as residents, have had to pay for that privilege, what a disaster!
TREVOR WATSON
The Laurels
March
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