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Sustainable Energy Alliance (SEA)
was founded in May 2005 and is based in North Wales. It is a coalition of
environmentalists who believe that
the
threats of climate change are so serious that
renewable
forms of energy
and especially that of wind power, should be adopted as soon as possible.
The environmental group believe that wind power, both on and offshore , must and will play a key role in our energy
mix, along with other renewables, decentralised energy and energy
efficiency.
SEA has always found that when the general public are given the opportunity
and provided with substantiated and factually correct information, the
vast majority are fully in support of wind power
The group has been campaigning in support of the
proposed
Gwynt
y Mor
offshore wind farm for three years now. This wind farm will be sited some nine miles north
of Llandudno and if built will meet the demands of 500,000 households (
41% of homes in Wales). SEA have always found that
the vast majority of local
people and visitors to the area are in favour of the proposal and that
the small but vocal opposition group have grossly exaggerated the visual effect
of the wind farm and completely misjudged the likely effect on tourism
(see
some myths).
Man-made climate change is the greatest global threat
that we face today and the evidence is now compelling. Urgent action must be taken to address
it and the severe impacts that it will bring to all of our lives..
The following quote from Lord Rees of Ludlow neatly summarises the
dramatic situation we are faced with:
"Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide are rising at an unprecedented
rate. They were higher in 2005 than they have been for at least 420,000
years, and probably 20 million years, due to the burning of fossil fuels.
This in itself would be grounds for concern even if there were not yet
evidence for associated global warming. However, that evidence is now
compelling"
Lord Rees of Ludlow
President, The Royal Society
And
from David Attenborough on the threat from man-made climate change...
"I am
80 now. It's not that I think, like any old man, that change is wrong. I
recognise that the world has always changed, I know that. But the point
is, it's changing more extremely and swiftly than at anytime in the past
several million years and one of the things I don't want to do is look at
my grandchildren and hear them say. "Grandfather, you knew it was
happening and did nothing."
Some
facts on wind power...
According to the Sustainable Development Commission ( SDC) wind energy is projected to be the cheapest form of electricity by 2020
The
UK has 40% of the European wind energy resource and it is common
sense to make the best use of it -
www.bwea.com
and on average the UK's wind farms are twice as efficient as those in
Europe.
There are at
present (April 2008) 1966 wind turbines in the UK, generating electricity
for 1,358,897 homes and reducing CO2 emissions by 5,492,661 tonnes per
year
The average wind
turbine operates between wind speeds of 8 mph to 48 mph ( force 9)
measured at hub height and produces electricity for up to 85% of the time
Bird
Kills -The threat to birds from
wind farms is exceptionally low. At worst, avian mortalities per turbine,
per year is equivalent to 1-2 birds, but is often much lower. By
comparison, 57 million birds die in collisions with cars, 1.25 million in
collisions with tall structures, 97.5 million in collisions with plate
glass and 100 million are killed by pet cats in the USA each year.
House
prices - A report by the Royal
Institute of Charted Surveyors and the Oxford Brookes University (
May 2007) found no clear relationship between property prices and the
proximity of wind farms.
Noise
- The Scottish Executive
published results of a public opinion survey which found that "before
construction of Scottish wind farms studied, 12% of the people living near
the sites thought that the turbines would cause a noise nuisance, but
after construction, only 1% thought they were noisy".
Tourism - In 2002, a MORI
poll in the Argyll area of Scotland found that "80% of tourists said that
they would be interested in visiting a wind farm if it were open to the
public with a visitor centre, while 91% of respondents said they would not
be put off from visiting and area because of the presence of wind farms".
And on climate
change...
Arctic ice has diminished by 40% over the last 40 years
Carbon Dioxide levels are 27% higher now than at any time in the last
650,000 years
National news in brief -
UK's
blueprint for green revolution - June 26th 2008
..
One in four UK homes could be fitted with solar heating equipment and 3500
wind turbines could be erected across Britain within twelve years as part
of a green energy revolution to be proposed by the government this
week. The UK could cut its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 20% and
reduce its dependency on oil by 7% within 12 years if it conducts the
massive overhaul of energy production and consumption outlined in the
strategy document according to the government. Although the proposals are
contained in a consultation document, the government has committed
to hitting the 15% renewable energy target and ministers accept that
many of the measures in the report will have to be introduced, one
of these measures includes a 30 fold increase in offshore wind power
generation. SEA welcomes the consultation document and hopes that the
proposals outlines become a reality.
John Sauven, director of
GREENPEACE
said, "if this plan becomes a
reality, Britain will be a better, safer and more prosperous country.
We'll create jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and use less gas,
and in the long run our power bills will come down."
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) rules against another anti wind farm
group
The Advertising
Standards Authority ( ASA) the independent body which policies the rules
laid down in the advertising codes", has upheld four of the six complaints
made by the wind farm developer Acciona against the anti wind farm group
"Save Trannn Moor Action Group" (STAG) as it was believed that claims made
by the group in opposing the Trefeglws wind farm application were
misleading. In conclusion the ASA told STAG to
remove the claims
from their published materials... "inefficient - produces only 28% of
capacity on average", "Will devastate wildlife - birds, bats and other
mammals will all suffer". Will threaten the health of local residents -
noise, vibration and blade flicker " and "Will waste money -
subsidies will be charged to everyone's electricity bills..." The ASA
advised them to consult the CAP Copy Advice team before advertising in the
future. To see the full adjudication, go to
www.asa.org.uk for the complaint
published on May 28th 2008.
Slovenia nuclear alert after leak
- June 4th 2008
A leak of water has prompted Slovenia to shut down the reactor at its only
nuclear power plant. The European Commission issued an EU-wide alert under
its Ecurie early warning system for nuclear emergencies, the AFP news
agency reported. A safe shut down was in progress at the Krsko nuclear
plant the report added.
Over 3000 say "NO" to the Heathrow expansion - May 31st 2008
Over 3000
climate
campaigners and environmentalists from across the UK
attended the Heathrow Carnival to say a unequivocal " NO" to
the planned Heathrow expansion. The fun started at the Hatton Cross
tube station and the procession made its way to Sipson - the village
that will be destroyed if a third runway goes ahead. At Sipson the
environmentalists spelt out a giant human "NO" to expansion at Heathrow that
was clearly visible from the air. Activists from SEA attended the event
and travelled to the event in a minibus along with another green group.
.
Nuclear
and coal fired plants fail causing blackouts - May 28th 08
Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses across London, Cheshire,
Merseyside and East Anglia were yesterday hit by power blackouts as both
the Sizewell B nuclear plant in Suffolk and the Longannet coal fired
station in Scotland went offline within minutes of each other.
News was released today that the cost of cleaning up the UK's ageing
nuclear facilities, including some dangerous sites looks set to rise above
£73 Bn. A senior official from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority said
the bill would rise by billions of pounds. Nineteen sites across the
country, some dating from the1950's are due to be dismantled over the
coming decades.
European wind day June 15th 2008 -
The European
Wind Energy Association ( EWEA) is organising a second pan European day to
highlight the benefits of wind energy. 18 countries have already confirmed
their participation in this years wind day and will organise hundreds of
activities across European regions and cities. These will include wind
farm inaugurations and open days, concerts, conferences, information
days with schools, debates, races, contests and much more ! Further
information can be found at www.ewea.org
Chernobyl 22 year anniversary -
April
26th 2008 marked the 22nd anniversary of the nuclear accident at
Chernobyl. Up to 500,000 people have died out of the two million who
were officially classed as victims of the accident according to new
estimates collated by researches commissioned by European parliamentary
groups, GREENPEACE International and medical foundations in Britain,
Ukraine, Scandinavia and elsewhere. Some seven million
people were affected by the accident and today Chernobyl is still a ghost
town.
Stern warns that climate change is far worse than 2006 estimate
Lord Stern, the
economist whose report on climate change helped galvanise world leaders
behind the green energy movement when it was published some 18 months ago,
has admitted is far worse than the assumptions made in the ground breaking
report. "We badly underestimated the degree and risks of climate change"
he said in a speech in London on April 16th, "all the links in the chain
are on average worse than we thought a couple of years ago".
Study warns of wildlife losers - April 14th 2008 -
Wildlife will
increasingly be divided into winners and losers as the impacts of
climate change is felt along the UK coast, the National Trust has warned.
The habitats of numerous plants and animals will be damaged by rising sea
levels, coastal erosion and flooding. Wading birds, the grey seal and
Sandhill rustic moth could suffer.
Conference tackle climate issues - April 14th 2008 -
The challenge of
tackling climate change in Wales is being debated at a conference over the
next two days. "Climate change, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" in
Llandrindod Wells, Powys will ask whether Wales has "woken up" to the
issue. Other subjects include the response to issues in Wales and beyond,
and whether people need to act sooner, differently or more effectively" Wales environment minister Jane Davidson AM will open the conference.
The Welsh Assembly
Government has highlighted its
commitment to renewable energy, when on February 19th. Minister for the
environment, Jane Davidson AM launched the renewable energy map for Wales.
Ms Davidson announced that by 2025 , it was feasible that Wales could
produce around 33 terawatt hours of electricity per year from renewable
sources ( current consumption in Wales is some 24 terawatt hours) with a
third coming from wind power.
NEW !
Climb
to the top of the Swaffham wind turbine on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwmalCmwtFU
and
check out these
climate / wind farm videos !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzjOcOcQ9U Climate challenge 2' 01"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaBoLqds-Bg Animation 1'
59"
We
are presently campaigning for the following wind farms -
Gwynt-Y-Mor offshore wind farm - North Wales
www.npower-renewables.com/gwyntymor
Lindhurst wind farm - Near Mansfield Notts
www.npower-renewables.com/lindhurst
Consented
Langham wind farm - Anderby, Lincolnshire
www.npower-renewables.com/langham
Rhyl Flats offshore wind farm - North Wales
www.npower-renewables.com/rhylflats
Consented
Thacksons Well wind farm - Lincolnshire
www.thacksonswellwindfarm.co.uk --
Refused
- appeal pending, watch this space !!!
Further details for these on "support the alliance" page
You
can help
support
SEA by buying some of our merchandise ! Go to "support the Alliance" page.
COMMENTS OF THE WEEK....
"
Wind power blows away the opposition " P Kench - Llandudno
" Time to start thinking about our
children's future" S. Dastiagir - Croydon
" I support this wholeheartedly " D.
Williams - Anglesey
If
you have any pro wind comments and would like to add them to our Website,
please e-mail them to Jonathan -
jon@leafandstream.fsnet.co.uk
Further comments on our "Quotes" page
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
We are looking at undertaking
further campaigning initiatives to support the Gwynt-Y-Mor offshore wind
farm application. A decision by July is expected by DBERR. - Watch this
space....
RECENT NEWS...
June 28th 2008 -
SEA activists were busy once again on the high Street in Llandudno
engaging with the public, both tourists and locals, we even had visitors
from Italy, Slovenia and Spain giving their support for the wind farm by
completing a letter. Despite one of the group members of the "anti group"
taking a number of photographs ( without our consent ) of us and our
materials ( they must think we are great), the day once again was very
successful ! Many thanks to all those that helped - the campaign to win
consent for the wind farm goes on.......
June 26th 2008 -
SEA contact the head of the Great Yarmouth Tourist Board concerning any
possible impact from the Scroby Sands offshore wind farm on tourism - see
news page !!
June 26th 2008 -
SEA writes again to John Hutton following the release of the Renewable
Energy Strategy consultation document calling on him to grant
consent for the Gwynt-Y-Mor wind farm application, press releases are also
issued to the local media advising them of this. SEA welcome the report
and hope that the promises become reality.
June 25th 2008 -
Jonathan is interviewed by the team from Manchester University re their
impartial research in to opinions on the Gwynt-Y-Mor offshore wind farm.
June 19th 2008 -
Press release regarding the UK wind energy weekend and SEA
public engagement work on June 14th in Llandudno published in
the north Wales Weekly News.
June 14th 2008
marked the UK wind energy weekend with twenty wind farms open to members
of the public and some 20,000 people expected to attend events across the
UK. The wind energy weekend coincides with the European wind day on June
15th, where around 100,000 people are expected at events in 18 countries
across Europe. To highlight the day activists from SEA were again on the
high street in Llandudno engaging with the public and providing them with
the opportunity to support the proposed Gwynt-y-Mor wind offshore farm .
SEA have also issued a press release following the weekends activities to
the local media.
June 12th 2008 -
SEA writes to the following Assembly Members - Alun Davies, Dafydd
Elis-Thomas, Nerys Evans and Joyce Watson, calling to them to give their
support for the Gwynt-Y-Mor wind farm application.
June 5th 2008 -
Mike Pritchard ( representing Save Our Scenery - the small, but vociferous
group opposing the Gwynt-Y-Mor wind farm) wrote to the North Wales Weekly
News, claiming that Npower Renewables has funded Manchester University
research into public opinion in Llandudno on the Gwynt-Y-Mor wind farm
application. This has subsequently been shown to be untrue as funding for
the research is solely by the Higher Education Funding councils and is
impartial. The University has written to the paper correcting Mike
Pritchard's misleading claim.
May 31st
2008 - Activists from SEA along with another green group from north Wales
travelled to London and took part in the peaceful protest against the
planned third runway at Heathrow airport. Over 3000 climate
campaigners and environmentalists from all over the UK took part and
made it clear to the government that airport expansion will only add to
the threat of man-made climate change. It was fantastic for SEA to be
represented at the event and to work alongside other green groups. Many
thanks to all those that took part in the activity.
May 24th 2008 -
SEA, FOE and the Green Party took to the high street in Llandudno talking
to the public about the Gwynt-Y-Mor offshore wind farm.
May 20th 2008 -
SEA writes to Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Nick Clegg, Nick Bourne and
Rhodri Morgan calling on them to give their backing to the Gwynt-Y-Mor
wind farm application.
May 17th 2008 -
SEA again were on the streets of Llandudno engaging with members of the
public and providing them with the opportunity to support the Gwynt-Y-Mor
offshore wind farm application - Thank you to all those that helped !
May 16th 2008 Friends of the Earth and People and Planet were busy on the
high street in Bangor providing the public there the opportunity to
support the Gwynt-Y-Mor offshore wind farm, the response as in
Llandudno was overwhelming in support of the application. Many thanks to
all those that helped on the day.
May 7th 2008 - SEA has letters published in the north Wales Journal and
the Pioneer.
May 8th 2008 - SEA has now transferred most of its funds to the Triodes
Bank www.triodos.co.uk , who work
with a variety of organisations, from small cooperatives to international
businesses, organic farms, renewables energy projects and charities. SEA
receives no funding from business, central or local government, our only
income is from the sale of merchandise and donations from the public. All
funds raised are to be used for climate campaigning activities and the
supporting of wind farm applications across the UK.
May 8th 2008 - SEA anniversary - This date marks the founding of SEA,
three years ago in Llandudno, looking back we have come along way and
achieved many successes in that time. Many thanks to all those that
have played a part in all that we have done ! Here's to the next three
years !
May 7th 2008 - SEA returned to Llandudno again engaging with the public
and giving them the opportunity to give their support for the Gwynt-Y-Mor
wind farm application, a decision by the Department for Business
Enterprise and Regulatory Reform ( DBERR) is expected in the next two
months.
May 3rd 2008 - Representatives from SEA, FOE Cymru and the local Green
Party were busy again in Llandudno talking to members of the public and
giving them the opportunity to give their support for the Gwynt-Y-Mor
offshore wind farm project. Activists were busy on the promenade where the
ship constructing the Rhyl Flats offshore wind farm could clearly be seen,
this was pointed out to people who were writing letters of support. Once
again backing for Gwynt-Y-Mor project was overwhelming from locals
and visitors alike. Many thank to all those that helped on the day !
April 26th 2008
- SEA activists alongside campaigners from Friends of the Earth (FOE),
were busy engaging with members of the public on the high street in
Llandudno and providing them with the opportunity to give their support
for the proposed Gwynt-Y-Mor offshore wind farm application. Photomontages
of how the wind farm would look as well as the full Environmental
Statement ( ES) and Non Technical Summaries ( NTS's) were on display, so
that people could make an informed decision as to whether or not to
give their backing. The response was overwhelmingly
in support
and at times people were queuing at the table to put pen to paper. Many
thanks to Friends of the Earth for their time and energy !!
April 17th - SEA
letters appeared in the north Wales Pioneer.
April 16th 2008
- Jonathan attended a workshop in Llandudno run by the Countryside Council
for Wales ( CCW) to discuss a process for the selection for highly
protected marine reserves in Wales. Coastal development has led to the
loss of coastal habitats and changes to natural sediment movement.
Greenhouse gas emissions are resulting in climate change and ocean
acidification. It was a productive day for SEA with some useful networking
with a number of campaign groups present..
April 5th 2008 - SEA activists took part in the Welsh Assembly Governments
climate change community event at Venue Cymru in Llandudno. The day
consisted of a range of workshops and a climate change action market place
with information stands and one to one advisors. Jane Davidson WAG AM
Minister for the environment, gave a keynote speech on climate change and
the need to address it. For SEA it was a very productive day and a
fantastic opportunity to network with other climate groups and discuss the
Gwynt-Y-Mor wind farm application with representatives from the WAG,
their support and interest in the scheme was very encouraging and many
proudly wore SEA badges and took the new pro wind car sticker. All in all
the day was a great success, Many thanks to all those from SEA who gave
their time ! It was reported that Jane Davidson was to have commented
later that it was "great to see a pro wind stall".
April
3rd 2008 - The Government has published its long awaited Marine Bill
and part of the Bill pledges better management of inshore fisheries and
measures to speed up the approval process for offshore wind farms by about
a year.
March
19th 2008 - Some GOOD news ! The main
offshore construction works to build Rhyl Flats offshore wind farm are due
to start in early April 2008. The 25 turbine project will make a
significant contribution towards the Welsh Assembly Governments renewable
energy and carbon reduction targets. Once fully operational the 90 MW
offshore wind farm will provide enough clean and truly sustainable energy
to meet the energy needs of around 61.000 homes. The project will be
sited some 5 miles off the north Wales coast, between Abergele and Pensarn.
Construction of the project should be fully completed by July 2009. SEA is
looking forward very much to seeing the wind farm up and running !!!
March
26th 2008 - The SEA letter re Save Our Scenery and support for nuclear
power appeared in the Pioneer.
March
20th 2008 - SEA has a letter published in the North Wales Pioneer
following the disclosure from the chairperson of Save Our Scenery ( SOS)
that he supports nuclear power.
March
21st 2008 - SEA sent a letter by post and e-mail to the 17 local
councillors expressing our disappointment at their decision not to approve
the application. We believe that they were taken in my the often factually
incorrect and misleading arguments used by BLOT, the group opposing the
scheme.
March
18th 2008 - Jonathan took part in a live interview on a local radio
station in Llandudno re the Gwynt-Y-Mor wind farm application
March
17th 2008 - A press release was issued to the local media in Grantham,
stating that though SEA is "disappointed and surprised" by the planning
authorities decision not to grant consent for Thacksons Well wind farm,
the campaign group would continue to support the project.
March
11th 2008 - SEA activists and supporters of the Thacksons Well wind farm
application attended the planning meeting in Grantham. The meeting lasted
for over four hours and was a total and utter farce. The room was
full to capacity with angry nimbys, who jeered and stamped their feet
like children. The planning authority seemed to have made up their minds
before the meeting had taken place as to which way to vote. The group
opposing the application made a number of lengthy presentations which were
often factually incorrect and misleading, unfortunately, their word was
taken as the truth and the 1000 plus letters gathered in support, many of
these from local people meant little. In the end the authority made a
decision that they were "minded to refuse consent for the application,
despite the chief planning officer advising them to give it the
green light. The developer has made it clear that they will take this to
appeal - SEA will remain committed to the project - This is not
over.........
March
5th 2008 - Press releases are issued to the local media advising them of
the complaint by SEA against BLOT
March
4th 2008 - All of the local South Kesteven Councillors are written to
again, advising them of SEA's formal complaint to the ASA against BLOT.
March
3rd 2008 - SEA make a formal complaint to the Advertising Standards
Authority ( ASA) - the independent body which polices the rules laid down
in the advertising code - against Belvoir Local Oppose Turbines (BLOT) -
the group opposing the Thacksons Well wind farm. SEA believes that a
number of materials used by BLOT to gain support in opposing the
application are misleading and factually incorrect . SEA further believes
that the claims made must bring into question the validity of the argument
against the scheme and that any support gained by BLOT, based on this
material and subsequent petitions submitted to the planning authority
should be deemed as inadmissible, as the signatories were clearly mislead.
SEA believe that the vast majority of the general public, when given the
opportunity and provided with substantiated, factual information, fully
support wind power as a means of addressing climate change.
February 22nd 2008 - All of the local councillors on the South Kesteven
council are written to, advising them that SEA are backing the application
and urging them to give the project the green light.
February 19th 2008 - SEA activists and supporters take to the streets of
Grantham with a 5ft hour glass highlighting the fact that time is running
out to address man-made climate change and that wind power must play a key
role in addressing it. The group also displayed pro wind banners and
spoke to the people of the town about the Thacksons Well wind farm
project. The Grantham Journal attended and took a photograph - press
releases were also issued with photographs of the day to other local
media.
February 9th 2008 - SEA activists and supporters of the Thacksons Well
wind farm application made a site visit on the farm and displayed banners
supporting the application. A press release was sent along with
photographs of the day to the local media
January 29th 2008 - SEA
has decided to give its full backing to the Thacksons Well wind farm
application near Long Bennington, Lincolnshire. The project will number 10 turbines and
have an installed capacity of up to 23MW, meeting the demands of 12,800
homes each year. After looking at the proposal we believe that this is an
application that deserves to be given consent - The local authority are
set to meet on March 11th 2008 to decide as to whether or not to
grant consent. SEA also would also like to welcome Bryan Widdowson as the
new local contact for the application ! Watch this space for updates.
January 27th 2008 - Jonathan spoke at length with Robert Lilly (
Renewables Consents Manager) for the Department for Business Enterprise
and Regulatory Reform ( DBERR) regarding the Gwynt-Y-Mor offshore
application. Jonathan said that SEA "believed that a public enquiry would
be unnecessary as the application has been comprehensive in every
aspect, and the enquiry would be costly in terms of finance and
time.
January 4th 2008 - SEA activists and supporters of the proposed
Gwynt-Y-Mor wind farm made their voices heard at the Conwy Council
planning meeting for the project - see news page...
December 20th - SEA are added to the latest edition of the Whole Guide
magazine -
December 17th 2007 - Consent given for the Milton Keynes wind farm
application !
December 14th 2007 - Press releases issued to the media in North
Wales re the recent council planning meeting.
December 14th 2007 - Jonathan gave an interview for the North Wales weekly
News and with a school in Llandudno.
December 12th 2007 - SEA activists and supporters of the Gwynt-Y-Mor wind
farm application were out in numbers at the Conwy County Planning
Meeting, urging the authority to give the offshore project the green
light. One supporter was dressed as King Canute, representing those that
are actively opposing the wind farm and think that they can stop the
rising sea levels that global warming will bring. Pairs of Wellington
boots were also being offered to the nimbys with the message " if you
continue to campaign against projects such as Gwynt-Y-Mor, you may find
these useful !".The council has softened its opposition to the project -
more details to follow.....
December 10th 2007 - SEA took part in a south Wales university study to
the attitudes to wind power. 127 students were polled and the results were
5 opposed and 122 in favour - clearly showing what we have known all
along, the vast majority of the public say YES to wind !
December 10th 2007 - Jonathan gave an interview to the north Wales Pioneer
re Gwynt-Y-Mor and the plans for offshore wind farm development.
December 7th 2007 - Huge expansion for wind turbines - see the news page.
December 8th 2007 - Despite poor weather conditions, supporters of SEA
attended both the climate march in Bangor and London. The idea of the
march was to highlight the threat of climate change and demand action to
address it. Marches took place across the globe in a day of action. Many
thanks to those that made if from SEA
November 21st-22nd - SEA activists visit Llandudno again to campaign for
Gwynt-Y-Mor ! Over just six days two SEA activists managed to collect 1601
support letters in the town, clearly showing the level of support for the
project.
November 17th 2007 - Climate experts warn of abrupt warming - After talks
in Valencia, scientists have agreed on a document which they hope will
shape the debate on the next phase on the fight against climate change. It
declared the fact of global warming "unequivocal" and said it may bring
"abrupt and irreversible" impacts. Full story on the news page
October - SEA takes action by the way of public engagement in Llandudno on
Oct 3rd/4th and Oct 24th/25th....... Again the support we found was
overwhelming ! When the general public are given the opportunity and
presented with accurate and factually correct
information about the proposed Gwynt-Y-Mor wind farm, the vast majority
have been shown to be
fully behind it. Please go to the "quotes page" to see just a few of the
positive comments given ! Many of these are local people from Llandudno,
this totally blows away the myth put around by the group opposing the application that the majority of local people are against the project.
October 19th - Jonathan gave a radio interview on Heart FM in Notts re the
consented Lindhurst wind farm.
October 11th - SEA article in the North Wales weekly News re our work
supporting the Gwynt-Y-Mor wind farm.
October 10th - Lindhurst consent news article appears on the
GREENPEACE yes2wind site
www.yes2wind.org
Consent given for the Lindhurst wind farm
application !
After
a year of campaigning in Nottinghamshire ( collecting in excess of 3000
letters of support from local people) lobbying MP's, councillors and media
work, the decision as to whether or not to grant consent was decided by
Newark and Sherwood Planning Authority on Tuesday Sept 18th. SEA activists
attended the meeting and had to wait while the planning officer read
her report ( of recommendation) and then the issue was debated by
the local councillors. After what seemed like forever a vote was made and
it was 8 for and 3 against ( despite the best efforts of the nimbys) So it
is a fantastic result !! This is Nottinghamshire's first wind farm
and will be a real icon for the county. Many, many thanks must go to
all those that put so much time and energy into supporting the
application, it is much appreciated - especially Bryan and Beth who have
been total stars !
Prior
to the meeting, Jonathan wrote to local MP's and the councillors on the
planning committee urging them to back the application. Press advisories
were issued to local media, advising them of the 3000 letters of support
which were submitted to the planning authority. Interviews were given to
Mansfield FM and Radio Nottingham before the meeting and Mansfield FM,
Radio Nottingham, Heart FM and The Chad afterwards. Press advisories
were also issued after the ruling.
Photocopies of the 3000 letters were submitted to Mansfield District
Council, who had earlier opposed the application.
And
now for Gwynt-Y-Mor consent......
We
need supporters of the revised Gwynt-y-Mor wind farm application to write
to the consenting authority, urging them to give the application the green
light ! Please write to .....
The
Secretary of the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
(DBERR)
C/O Offshore Renewables Consents Unit, Bay 2117, 1 Victoria Street,
London. SW1H 0ET Or you can e-mail
offshore.renewables@berr.gsi.gov.uk
Please also ask your friends to do the same !
September 24th 2007, 700 further letters of support were submitted to the
planning authority, taking the total to a massive 3000 plus !!!
August 24th 2007 - Alan Meale MP and Paddy MP, were both written to, urging
them to back the Lindhurst application.
August 6th 2007 - New environmental information including revised turbine
layout designs for the proposed Gwynt-y-Mor offshore wind farm have been
submitted to the Government and other relevant organisations by the
project manager npower renewables. Further design work has reduced the
area within the area which the turbines would be built by
16%. It is
hoped that the decision by the consenting authority as to whether or not
to grant consent will be given later this year.
For
further information about the changes, go to
www.npower-renewables.com/gwyntymor
July
12th 2007 - Jonathan gave an interview on Mansfield 103 radio re Lindhurst
July
10th 2007 - Npower Renewables, the company behind the Rhyl Flats offshore wind
farm issued a press release stating that it had signed a major contract
with Siemens to supply and install the turbines- The wind farm will
consist of 25 wind turbines, compared to 30 at North Hoyle, it will have
an installed capacity of 90 MW and is expected to generate 50% more clean
electricity than North Hoyle, enough to supply 61,000 homes. Offshore
foundation construction will start this month with the installation of
scour protection and the installation of the foundation piles will
commence in April 2008, making the start of the main offshore works
period. The first turbines are expected to start generating in November
2008, with the project completion anticipated in July 2009. This really is
fantastic news, SEA has been backing the project and lobbying MP's and
councillors to support it.
July
2nd - Activists from SEA and local people were busy in Skegness
talking to local people and giving them the opportunity to support the
Langham application - more dates to follow.
May
30th - Jonathan gave a live interview on BBC Radio Nottingham re
Lindhurst.
May
26th and May 27th - Lindhurst wind farm campaign stalls in
Newark and the Nottingham Green Festival resulted in a further 327 letters
being collected.....despite raining all day on Sunday ! Many thanks to all
of those that gave their time, thanks also to everyone that has helped
with the campaign, the determination date is expected at the end of
June.... watch this space !
May
24th - Jonathan gave an interview for Trent FM re the Lindhurst wind farm.
May
23rd - Press advisories were issued to radio stations in Notts re
campaigning for the bank holiday weekend
May
21st - Press advisories were issued to newspapers in Nottinghamshire
regarding SEA activities for the weekend in the county.
May
21st - Press advisories were issued to the Skegness Standard, Target
series and Lincs FM, advising them that SEA are now backing the
Langham wind farm application.
May
12th - The DTI, WAG and a number of MP's, AM's and North Wales
councils were written to advising them of SEA's backing of the already
consented offshore wind farm Rhyl Flats.
May
5th - SEA on the streets of Newark.... activists from SEA were once again
campaigning for Lindhurst and managed to collect a further 204 letters of
support.
May
2nd - All of the councillors for the Newark and Sherwood Planning
Authority were e-mailed and also written to, advising them of the numbers
of letters backing the wind farm submitted so far and urging them to back
the Lindhurst wind farm application.
May
1st - SEA have another article published on the GREENPEACE Yes2wind
site (
www.yes2wind.com)
April
2007
weather set to break record.....The UK Met Office has released figures
showing that this month is likely to be the warmest April since records
began some 300 years ago
SEA
have given their full backing to the already consented Rhyl Flats offshore
wind farm ( North Wales), this is despite claims made by the group
opposing the wind farm, that the public were mislead with the application.
We believe that the public were in no way mislead, the building of Rhyl
Flats and Gwynt-Y-Mor wind farms are vital if we are to moves towards a
sustainable energy future here in Wales. Press releases to the media in
North Wales were issued.
Jonathan took part in debate with a nimby on BBC Radio Wales with
regard to the proposed Gwynt-Y-Mor wind offshore farm. This was
aired on April 23rd.
Jonathan gave an interview in the Daily Post on April 18th.
The
DTI commissioned an NOP poll on views on wind farms and found that 81% of
the general public were in favour of wind power ! This result
is no surprise to us as we always have found a great deal of support.
Cathy
Mackle ( regional coordinator for the west midlands) has moved house and
is no longer able to hold that post for SEA but will still be
involved in some capacity - Many thanks to Cathy for all that she
has done ! We would like to say thank you and welcome to new coordinator for the west midlands - Becky Lees
!
The
pro wind group skill share at The Centre for Alternative Technology ( CAT)
organised by SEA was a huge success and the weekend finished on a high by
visiting a local wind farm on the Sunday - see news page. We
have just placed an order for two further campaign banners, which will
soon be in action...
Jonathan gave interviews on Radio Nottingham, Radio Trent FM and Mansfield
103 on March 2nd, these were as a result of press releases issued on Feb
26th re SEA work in Notts and the proposed Lindhurst wind farm. The
Nottingham Evening Post also ran with the press release.
SEA
out on the streets of Newark again on February 17th and
March 3rd,collecting a further 450 letters of support- see news page.
Lewis
wind farm - Western Isles Council have voted by 18 votes to 8 in support
of the proposed 181 turbine wind farm on the Island ! More on the news
page
Jonathan gave interviews (one live) on Radio Nottingham and Mansfield 103
regarding the IPCC Report and the Lindhurst wind farm application
This
major UN climate change study has prompted fresh calls for political
action to head off soaring temperatures and rising sea levels. Without
action, global warming will deliver catastrophic change.
The
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC) released
its report on global warming. The report said that temperatures were
probably going to increase by 1.8 -4 degrees Centigrade by the end of the
century. It is also projected that sea levels were projected to rise by
28-43 cm and global warming was likely to influence the intensity of
tropical storms. The summary of the report is available at
http://www.ipcc.ch/SPM2feb07.pdf
Clearly, action must be taken now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and
support must be given to renewable technologies along with energy
conservation. Of all of the renewables, wind power is the most developed
and able to deliver energy on a large scale.
Environment Secretary, David Milliband described the report as a blow for
" climate change deniers".
A new
"pro renewables" campaign group " Renewable Energy Foundation" (REF) has
recently been set up, however it is not what it seems ! The groups chair
Noel Edmunds has long been known to hold anti wind farm views and the group
has a blatant anti wind policy ! Though they do appear to support offshore
-
Two
big offshore wind farms, The Thames Array and Thanet, both of the South
East of England have been given the "green light " by the DTI - Fantastic
News !!
More
about these two wind farms on the news page
Save
Our Scenery (SOS) the nimby group opposing the proposed Gwynt-Y-Mor
offshore wind farm, north of Llandudno, continue to use photomontages on
their Website, despite the ruling by the ASA, which described the main
image produced by the group as both crude and misleading !
The
ASA make another ruling against a second anti wind farm group - see news
page
The
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) recently announced
it is upholding all six of the complaints made against wind farm
opposition group, Save Our Scenery (SOS) and materials they have been
using to oppose the proposed Gwynt-Y-Mor offshore wind farm.
This is excellent news for
us - see the news page for the full story !
The
MoD drop their objection to the Lindhurst wind farm
SEA
now have six articles on the GREENPEACE Yes2wind Website
www.yes2wind.com - archive pages, check it out !
We
have sold over 100 of our "Wind Farms Rock!" T-shirts and they are being
proudly worn in places around the world, such as the USA, Australia and
South Africa! They are a great way to campaign and show
support for wind power - Check them out on the supporting the Alliance
page.
SEA visit the North Hoyle
wind farm
(click on the picture to enlarge it)
More information on the
news page
SEA
activists ascend Snowdon and show "Yes to Gwynt y Mor" banner. Click
here for images and story!
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