RORY OPPOSES BECK BURN APPLICATION, WELCOMES CANCELLATION OF 250 ONSHORE WIND PROJECTS

This week the government has announced that approximately 250 onshore wind projects already in development are likely to be cancelled because the Government is ending subsidies. Rory Stewart MP is pressing to ensure that one of these is the amended wind turbine application at Beckburn Peatworks near Longtown. This is part of his continuing campaign to keep his constituency turbine-free.

Rory said: “The Beckburn application has been going on for some time, causing a good deal of anxiety amongst the local community, who are vehemently opposed to the application. Even though the local Council turned down an application for the nine-turbine farm in 2011, and the Ministry of Defence submitted their own particular objections, the Planning Inspector nevertheless recommended approval. This is absolutely wrong: distant bodies should not be allowed to ride roughshod over local communities, and I am extremely saddened to learn that the application has been resubmitted, and encourage anyone who is opposed to make their views known to Carlisle City Council’s planning department.”

Rory was keen to remind constituents of the good news that was coming out of parliament, echoing Energy Secretary Amber Rudd’s pledge that consumer bills will not rise and insisted the move would save taxpayers hundreds of millions of pounds in subsidies that would otherwise have been paid out to energy projects.

Speaking yesterday Amber Rudd said a grace period was put in place, allowing projects which had planning consent, a grid connection and land rights by June 18 to continue to be supported under the RO. But the 250 projects delivering 2,500 turbines do not meet this criteria and are now “unlikely to be built”, she said.

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