PS – 76:

23-Oct-2015
(PS 76: Greg Clark MP, Mark Harper MP, FoDDC Planning Committee, FoDDC Planning Committee Need to justify their behaviour.)

From: Greg Lance-Watkins (Greg_L-W)

At: Greg_L-W@BTconnect.com

Hi,

STROAT WIND TURBINE – EFFECTED COMMUNITY IGNORED

Clark refuses Staffordshire wind turbines

23 October 2015 by Jim Dunton 

Communities secretary Greg Clark has refused planning permission for two wind turbines at a farm in Staffordshire, despite a planning inspector’s recommendation that the scheme be approved.

 

The decision is the latest example of Clark applying tough new standards introduced in a written ministerial statement (WMS) in June aimed fulfilling the Conservative Pary election manifesto pledge to halt the spread of onshore wind turbines.The WMS said that where a wind power scheme was already in the planning system, and no suitable sites were identified in the relevant development plan, a scheme could only be approved if planning authorities were “satisfied it has addressed the planning impacts identified by local communities and therefore has their backing”.Stafford Borough Council had rejected the proposals for the 45 metre tall turbines that would have sited on agricultural land near Stone in August 2013. It said the proposals would be at odds with the local landscape and have a negative impact on a nearby conservation area.Applicant Andrew Barnett appealed the decision and after an inquiry earlier this year, planning inspector David Pinner wrote to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) recommending the appeal be allowed on the grounds that it represented sustainable development and would have a limited impact on the locality.But a decision letter written on Clark’s behalf dismissed the inspector’s advice and upheld Stafford Borough Council’s decision.The letter said that due to the provisions set out in the WMS, the secretary of state was “not satisfied” that local concerns had been addressed.It said: “In their responses to [Clark’s] letter of 19 June, a number of members of the affected community repeated the concerns which they had previously expressed about the planning impacts of the scheme. These include the effects on the landscape and townscape quality.“He finds that the proposed scheme would not meet the transitional arrangements set out in the WMS of 18 June 2015. “Having weighed up all relevant considerations, the secretary of state concludes that the factors which weigh in favour of the proposed development do not outweigh its shortcomings and the conflict identified with national policy.“He considers that there are material considerations of sufficient weight which would indicate that the appeal should be dismissed.”

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So it would seem that the Minister, having failed the electorate in Stroat, who are the effected community, relative to the defiling of our local area with a hugely costly & proven inefficient and ecologically unsound Giant Wind Turbine which not only plans to damage the local amenity and befoul a unique rural area, but also requiring a substantial subsidy from tax payers to enrich the wealthy local land owner and her agents Resilience at the expense of the public and in direct contravention of the overwhelming majority of the effected community – achieved in total disregard of the wishes of the effected community, The Parish Council and contra the Government’s own stated policy of ensuring decision making is made by those directly effected in the local area.

It would seem that the Government is either so dishonest they ignore their own guidelines, when it suits them, or are cynically indifferent that they fail to acquit their duty – you will note from correspondence that the local MP would seem to have been more interested in ensuring his own position and views were carried out than either the wishes of the effected community, the Parish Council or the Government, for whom he is the Chief Whip, as it would seem that without the local MP acquitting his duty to represent the interests of the effected community in line with Government policy it seems the Minister Concerned will similarly abrogate on his duty and responsibility to act ensuring that planning is carried out on a level playing field in accord with Government Guidelines.

Since we, the effected community, petitioned our MP Mark Harper and the Minister concerned Greg Clark: The Minister has reversed numerous applications based upon the Government Guidelines including one instance where there had only been 6 letters of opposition from members of the effected community. There have been numerous examples where the Minister has reversed applications with considerably less reason than have been supplied in the instance of the application granted to industrialise Hanley Hill in Stroat. An application which was granted by FoDDC in apparent complete disregard of the majority wishes of the effected community who were not responsibly or ethically represented by their local representatives on the planning committee, nor did FoDDC consider in any responsible manner the detailed recommendation to reject the application by the FoDDC Senior Planning Officer Stephen Colegate – further it does appear that FoDDC have may well have acted Ultra Vires in granting the application and it is clear the wishes of the effected community, their own planning department and Government Guidelines were arbitrarily ignored.

This is the piece of beautiful rural Britain that will be destroyed having been betrayed by The Forest of Dean District Council Planning Committee, the local Conservative MP Mark Harper and the Minister Conservative MP Greg Clark all in the name of a dishonest claim that Wind Turbines are a green and ecologically sound way to produce electricity, despite the fact that much of the time they fail top work and they are grossly unreliable needing nuclear power stations to provide the electricity ready all the time and marketed to the public on a dishonest and scientifically unsound politically correct unsupported by many 10 of 1,000s of scientists see: http://www.petitionproject.org

A project funded by the tax payers which enriches the wealthy often at the expense of those least able to pay and least able to artyiculate their defence, the gullible duped on spurious and unfounded lies of green technology duped by the dishonesty of the warmist claims of CO2 emissions being a primary cause of anthropogenic global warming for which there is absolutely zero scientific provenance, a policy instituted to seek an alternative global carbon currency to replace the bankrupted current currencies, aided and abetted in their actions by the greed of a few acting without ethics or morality in the destruction of our planet with unsightly wind turbines that though they require vaste subsidies and will only work for 10 to 15 yearsm based on statistics to date, will mark and mar the countryside for generations to come – Hanly Hill in the exquisite Severn Vale with its natural beauty and abundance of wild life is to be the next subject of destruction by this obscene greed based folly:

The WMS said that where a wind power scheme was already in the planning system, and no suitable sites were identified in the relevant development plan, a scheme could only be approved if planning authorities were “satisfied it has addressed the planning impacts identified by local communities and therefore has their backing”.

You will note from the correspondence of Dai Oakley (above) that he has had it confirmed By The SENIOR Planning Officer Stephen Colegate, that FoDDC has not drawn up a policy on the location of Wind Turbines within their area, therefore the failure to ‘Call In’ this application by the minister is totally against the Government’s own policy, as published!

Not to mention the very clear statement of policy that decision making should consider the effected community.

One is forced to ask oneself just how these self serving scoundrels can live with themselves as they scheme and plan to defile this beautiful view, aided by the irresponsibility of those charged nay even elected and paid to protect our countryside, our values and the future landscape for generations to come.

The ‘Effected Community’ being those contacted by the Council originally who are directly effected including:

The Community Against Severndale Wind Turbine Group
which includes 35 members of the immediate ‘effected community’ who are on the record as objectors:
ASHBY, Leah, Stroat Hill Cottage, Stroat,, approximately 1.3kms from proposed turbine

AVERY-BROWN, Elizabeth-Avery & William – Wibdon Cottage, Stroat – approximately 700m from proposed turbine

BOLLEN, David – High Hall Farm – within 750m from proposed turbine

BOLT, Lisa – Everene Philpots Court within 700 m from proposed turbine

BROOKES, Tracey & Andy – Underwood Farm – within 800m of turbine

BROWN, Louella & David – The Waldins – within 650m of the turbine

CARPENTER, Garry, Stroat Hill Cottage, Stroat,, approximately 1.3kms from proposed turbine

CROSS, Nigel and Samantha 3 Philpots Court – within 700m from proposed turbine

DAVIDSON, Pam – The Garstons – within 750m from proposed turbine

ELSBY, Nigel & Linda, Stroat House, within 1.5km from proposed turbine

FORD, Claire & Roger – The steps – approximately 500m from proposed turbine

GOATMAN, Fiona & Robert – Beverstone Farm – approximately 1km from proposed turbine

HILLMAN, Robert & Alison Philpots Court Farm – within 700m from proposed turbine

HOLLIES, Lindsay & Mark – Chapel House, Hanley Lane – within 1km from proposed turbine

LANCE-WATKINS, Lee & Greg – Home Cottage Stroat – within 1.5km from proposed turbine

MAYO, Molly & Keith – Wibdon Farm – within 650 to 700m from from proposed turbine

NAIRNE, Andrew and Sue 4 Philpots Court – within 700m from proposed turbine

REES, James & Clare  – Greystones within 775m from proposed turbine

SMITH, Pam & David – Old Post Office within 900m from proposed turbine

WRIGHT, Sue and Peter – Little Wibdon, Stroat, approx. 500 – 550meters from proposed turbine

Minded that it is a relatively sparsely populated rural area, where numerous properties on the overlooking slopes will be level with the blades and clear visibility will be from Aust, Littlehampton, Thornbury, Rockhampton, Hill, Oldbury, Berkeley, Sharpness and beyond as it stands 50% taller than Gloucester Cathedral, undisguised by trees or other obstacles.

There would seem to be few if any supporters of the imposition of this turbine from within the community – other than those who have signed standard letters provided and vigorously solicited, by the applicants, either as potential direct beneficiaries in the scheme, tenants or employees of the applicant!

I also am minded that it is the right of each member of the effected community to act in their own interest and that of the community in registering their objection to the application as did their elected representatives on the Parish Council, who were clearly not influenced by the applicant being a part of that Council nor its planning committee, unlike the more distant FoDCC, who could not by the wildest stretch of the imagination be termed as members of the effected local community, any more than the applicants cosy agreement with the FoDDC to include totally uneffected individuals in a 5Km radius, including Chepstow, Bulwark, St. Arvans, Tintern etc., as was perversely claimed!

I do not believe it is unreasonable to ask just what connections, family or otherwise, donor or sponsor, is acting on behalf of the applicant Mrs. Maria Edwards, such that the local MP has undeniably failed to represent either his own Government’s published policy and guidelines or his own constituents in the effected local community and his own Tidenham Parish Council; Nor was the FoDDC willing to uphold the legal advice and planning considerations of their own appointed and salaried expert in the field Stephen Colegate the Senior Planning Officer.

Further it is clear that Greg Clark The Minister concerned has acted in flagrant abuse of his Government’s own clearly stated policy – not to mention the law which makes it very clear that bribes legal or otherwise, such as refunding part of the public subsidy to the very people who make it in the dishonest claim of ‘Community Benefit’ is not a planning consideration and thus should not influence the decision of FoDDC Planning Committee – which it clearly did as shown in the transcript of the deliberations of said committee and as cautioned AGAINST by their own appointed expert Stephen Colegate.

It is hard not to speculate just who besides the applicant is influencing individuals at such diverse levels that they are willing to abrogate on their duty and responsibilities so flagrantly!

It would seem that due process has been abandoned and the Planning Committee, The local MP Mark Harper and the Minister Greg Clark have failed to ensure the fundamental principle of British Justice, that ‘Justice Must Be Seen To Be Done’, just what can be the motivation for these individuals and public offices to be so clearly abused such that it would seem the entire process has been carried out in a manner which is both ‘ultra vires’ and blatantly directed against the effected local community!

Further it is noted that in PS75 above the legal department of FoDDC took a threatening and intimidatory stance in seeking to force Dai Oakley to do all he could to withdraw factual material pertaining to this application from public scrutiny – meanwhile the same authority claims that it has published all correspondence pertinet to the application – which is clearly an outright lie, as Dai Oakley’s correspondence, courteous as it was, has been suppressed and the correspondence sent to him by the FoDDC has not been published by the Council!

I believe it is a matter of duty that Greg Clark MP, Mark Harper MP, FoDDC legal department, FoDDC Planning Committee, the leader of the Council and the FoDDC CEO each separately and without corrupting the response with collusion make very clear written public statements explaining just why they have acted in the manner they have, which is seemingly in abrogation of their duty in this matter, in the light of the facts.

Regards,

Greg_L-W.

IF the Council is seeking to have clandestine conversation with individuals and seek to deny publication just what other secret deals have they done?

It does seem that with such correspondence being conducted in secret there is every possibility that correspondence with the applicant or their agents may also be kept from public view leading to a situation where bribes and pecunniary benefits could be obtained by Council staff or elected individuals in return for the granting of favour to applicants.