East Meon wind farm will not go ahead
Local people in East Meon were rejoicing at the news, which reached them over the weekend (of 2 August 2009), that the company proposing to put two 400-foot wind turbines on the Downs at HMS Mercury had decided not to go ahead. There was much jubilation in the village, where people had been determined to fight the plan. According to East Meon Parish Council, Volkswind, the company concerned, are understood to have dropped the proposal in the light of the high level of public opposition they had encountered and a statement by Energy Minister Ed Miliband that wind farms should not be built in National Parks and AONBs.
The Minister was answering questions on the blog of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) which has led an alliance of national and local environmental organisations in opposition to the proposal. Christopher Napier, the Chairman of CPRE Hampshire’s Planning Group, who is also a vice-chairman of the national CPRE, marshalled the landscape and planning arguments that explained to Volkswind that the proposal stood little chance of receiving planning consent. In support of the local group ‘Stop East Meon Wind Farm’, CPRE Hampshire produced a colour leaflet, distributed locally, briefed several local Parish Councils and focused public opinion, which was then expressed to Volkswind. Alliance members gave the issues wider distribution. East Hampshire District Council and South Downs Joint Committee planning officers also expressed strong concerns to Volkswind.
Christopher said: “We really had to win this one. If you had put turbines here, there would be hardly a site in England where they could have been stopped. National Parks can do their bit to tackle climate change in other ways.”
John Venning, chairman of CPRE Hampshire added: “We are delighted that Volkswind have seen sense, to a great degree as a result of the efforts of a large number of volunteers and environmental organisations, but it just shows how vigilant we need to be at all times if we are to look after the countryside and views that we love.”
Owen Plunkett, chairman of Hampshire Ramblers, has made known his opposition from the outset. “The idea that you could put a windfarm within metres of one of the loveliest and most used National Trails in the country was preposterous,” he said. “The decision not to go ahead is quite right.” Speaking for the South Downs Society, which has been working to conserve the Downs for over eighty years, Steve Ankers, planning officer said: “The value of precious landscapes like the South Downs to everyone, whether they live here or visit, is so great that we really have to work to protect them from this sort of industrial intrusion. We are really pleased the developers have decided not to go ahead.”
Speaking from London, Shaun Spiers, Chief Executive of CPRE, said: “Meeting enormous challenges like climate change, while making sure that the countryside still remains tranquil and beautiful is always going to involve difficult judgments. CPRE urges the Government to ensure that National Parks and AONBs continue to be protected from damaging development, including large, industrial wind farms.” While in East Meon, campaigner Tom Nixon heaved a mighty sigh of relief. “I always said they’d have to do this over my dead body. Now my wife and I can walk the Downs and know we can enjoy the unspoilt view for a good few years to come.”