| In a decision judgment of 8th
December 2006, Andrew Pykett, the inspector who held the Inquiry
in Oct/Nov has refused the appeal by Your Energy Ltd. for their
15 turbine wind farm between Boxworth and Conington.
The Inspector accepted that the wind farm
would have dominated the area’s character, appearance and
landscape to such an extent that it would have outweighed the
benefit of the contribution to regional renewable energy
targets.
Two other principal issues - noise impact
and road safety on the A14 - were also considered at great
length. The Inspector did not consider that the impact of noise
on local resident’s living conditions would be unacceptable,
but did conclude that the proposals would have a harmful impact
on road safety on the A14 as it currently stands.
INSPECTORS
APPEAL DECISION
Click on above link for
complete document
We are delighted that all our efforts over the past two and a
half years have finally been vindicated and that reason and
logic have prevailed. We have always made our case
professionally and based on fact not emotion and it is great
that the Inspector recognised that. We hope that this will be
the end of all attempts to place a wind farm in what we have
always maintained was a totally inappropriate location. It has
already cost the local Council and thousands of residents tens
of thousands of pounds let alone the years of worry and stress
as the threat of this enormous wind farm loomed over everyone.
Money that in the case of the Council could have been
better spent on all the deserving causes in South
Cambridgeshire. If Your Energy put in another application
it would be the height of cynicism and a slap in the face for
local democracy. At the end of the day one of the main reasons
for the selection of the site from Your Energy's perspective
was that it was cheap for them to build here compared to a
site further away from people and hence infrastructure. The
Inspector has found that the negative impacts outweighed the
positive and this will remain whatever they may suggest.
Finally many thanks to everyone who has supported the campaign
whether through donations, letter writing or just membership.
We certainly made very plain to the Inspector the breadth and
depth of public feeling against this proposal! Your input will
certainly have helped sway the judgement in our favour. Raise
a glass of festive cheer not only for Xmas but also to a wind
farm free 2007!
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