Letter from Assistant Director of Planning and Housing Services, Bedford Borough Council 22nd July 2009

Town and Country Planning Act 1990 - Section 78

I am required to give notice to those owners and occupiers of property near the site and to other interested parties that an appeal has been made to the Planning Inspectorate in relation to the failure of the Borough Council to determine the application in respect of the above mentioned proposed development. The Inspectorate will arrange for one of its Inspectors to hold a Hearing into the appeal. I will notify you of the date of the Hearing in due course. Any interested parties may attend, or alternatively submit their views in writing. Any comments already made following the original application for planning permission (unless they are expressly confidential) will be forwarded to the Inspectorate and copied to the appellant and will be taken into account by the Inspector in deciding the appeal. Should you wish to withdraw or modify your earlier comments in any way, or request a copy of the decision letter, you should write direct to:

The Planning Inspectorate
c/o Darren Cryer
Room 3/16 Temple Quay House
2 The Square
Temple Quay
Bristol
BS1 6PN

DO NOT SEND ANY COMMENTS TO THE BOROUGH COUNCIL

Details of the application which is the subject of the appeal, and the Appellants grounds of appeal, may be inspected at Planning Reception during normal office hours. Please quote reference APP/K0235/A/09/2108506/NWF and send three copies of your comments by 31st August 2009. Any representations received after the deadline will not normally be seen by by the inspector and will be returned. Any written representations received will be disclosed to the parties to the appeal and may be read out at the hearing. I hope this early notification of the appeal will be of assistance to you. However in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact myself or Mr Peter White of the Planning Division should you require any further information.

A copy of the Planning Inspectorate's booklet 'Guide to Taking Part in Planning Appeals' can be obtained free of charge from the Council's Planning Division (01234 221729). Finally, please note that the Planning Inspectorate will notify the decision of the appeal only to those persons who ask in writing to be notified.

Yours faithfully

P. Rowland

Assistant Director (Planning and Housing)

For further information on the campaign contact:

Ros Pound
Mullion Cottage
24 Gold Street
Podington
Near Wellingborough
Northants NN29 7HX

These three turbines are the thin end of the wedge. It should be noted that the owner of the site has strategically purchased a strip of adjoining land that would facilitate an extenion to any approved wind farm scheme. Three turbines in one of the least windy parts of the country is not an economic proposition and would not justify the investment. Nuon is more than likely already considering applying for additional turbines nearby.

CLOWD has been fighting these proposals from the outset. We submitted detailed objections to the 9 turbine scheme. The views of the villages were elevated and properly heard.

We have been fighting the 3 turbine scheme and have undertaken many presentations in the villages to meetings called by Parish Councils. The result is that the elected representatives of 116,000 people have objected to the 3 turbine proposals. We believe that this area of Bedfordshire is not the right place for 3 turbines at 410 feet tall and have submitted detailed objections again.

Bedford Borough Council have come to the same conclusion and rejected the proposal. The appeal by the applicant means the decision will now sit with a Planning Inspector.

This appeal means local democracy is put aside and that the Public Inquiry process is such that lawyers, barristers, planners, acoustic engineers, landscape consultants now have to be brought before the Planning Inspector.

CLOWD wishes to continue the fight to the end but to have the best chance of succeeding we too must seek further professional help.

We have been granted “Rule 6” status that means we can present evidence and cross examine the NUON representatives. We are looking to join forces with other objectors to share the cost but representations by suitable professionals (particularly a barrister, a planning expert and possibly other expert witnesses) will be expensive.

Democracy unfortunately does not come cheap. To ensure we maximise our impact at the appeal we estimate we will need in the region of £40,000.

We need cash and help with raising large Democracy unfortunately does not come cheap. Big corporations such as Nuon have big budgets, we do not.

We need your help now.

We need help with raising large sums of money and will be organising some fundraising events. Help is needed with these events. If you have ideas, able to commit a little time, or help in any way, please contact Ros.

Please donate as much as you can.

Ros Pound : Secretary

Steve Chambers : Chairman

Post or deliver to Ros Pound, Mullion Cottage, 24 Gold Street, Podington, Wellingborough, Northants., NN29 7HX.

Background to the Campaign

Airfield Farm Windfactory is an ill conceived onshore development, which, if approved by the Planning Inspectorate, will damage the integrity of many rural villages. It will undermine local infrastructure.

CLOWD submitted an Objection to Bedford Borough Council based upon the Landscape and Visual Impact which outlines the enormity of the impact this ill conceived development will have on North Bedfordshire.

The advantages of wind energy claimed and promoted by wind energy developers and the UK Government will not apply to this proposal since it is located in one of the least windy areas of the country. To date the Government has not evolved a sustainable energy policy. Increasingly people are realising the over-generous financial concessions provided by the Government are leading to unsuitable windfarm sites being selected.

Contrary to the information put out by wind farm companies, a report published by the Dti shows for the calendar year 2004, on-shore wind turbines functioned on average at 26.6% of their potential annual output (the corresponding figure for the far fewer off-shore wind turbines was 24.2%). Using data available from Ofgem, the figure for England for the same period was 23.8% (for Scotland it was 27.7% and for Wales it was 27.1%).

Low wind speeds recorded in our areashow the Airfield Farm turbines will be operational for well under any of these figures. For further information see Wind Resource.

The flicker, glint and noise these massive turbines generate cause local disruption. When the intrusion gets too bad, residents frequently ask for them to be switched off or the blade speed reduced. This means even less energy is produced.

The social cost to communities includes loss of amenity, destruction of landscape, reduction in house prices, increased levels of stress and ill health, and conflict between neighbours.

The physical impact of these turbines on this beautiful corner, where the three counties of Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire meet, will be wholly disproportionate to the minimal gain in wind energy to the country. There is a vast array of other renewable forms of electricity generation the UK could readily harness – wave power, tidal power, biofuel and biomass. Why are these not given greater priority?

Fighting a campaign of this nature is akin to David and Goliath. The collective power of wind energy companies and Government policy is enormous. Professional public relations companies are employed by windfarm companies to reassure nearby residents during the planning phase and frequently succeed in selling the alleged benefits of wind factories.

The spin encourages people to support them. By the time the power station is under construction, it is too late to do anything. Communities are forced to start living with the difficulties, regretting they did not play their part in preventing the turbines being built in the first place.

Concerns

Information put out by the wind energy industry is misleading

Information put out by NUON Renewables in the context of the Airfield Farm proposal is incomplete in terms of potential disadvantages to the community

The chosen site at Airfield Farm , Podington is within Bedford Borough Council's only designated Area of Great Landscape Value

The turbines will tower above Odell Great Wood - the remains of an ancient forest (this is one of only Site of Special Scientific Interest for its unique flora and fauna)

Wind energy is free at the point of generation, but there are massive financial and environmental costs to building the infrastructure so the energy can be harnessed

Vibration and low frequency noise are noticeable from established windfarms more than 2km away

Information provided to date has failed to consider or provide mitigating proposals for disturbance to the community from flicker, glint, and noise

Inadequate visualisation models of the development; disruption to bridleways and other rights of way

The cumulative impact on the landscape.

All have to be considered by the Local Planning Inquiry under the provision of current planning legislation.