UK, Wales, Environment, Landscape, Conservation: Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales: Press Notices / Datganiadau i'r Wasg

Today, six major conservation bodies, with a joint membership in Wales of many thousands, sent a letter to The Rt. Hon. Patricia Hewitt MP, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry protesting "in the strongest possible terms" about the declaration of the Energy Secretary, Mr. Brian Wilson that he was "minded to give consent" to the largest wind power station yet in Wales (or the UK).

The organisations are asking the Secretary of State not to confirm Mr Wilson's decision without the scrutiny of a Public Inquiry. (see letter below)

Because of its size, this is the first wind power station in Wales to be decided by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in London rather than by local planning authorities in Wales (1). Unfortunately, after a short and rather superficial debate, Ceredigion County councillors rejected the advice of their own planning officer, and decided to not to register an Objection to the project. In the process they jettisoned their chance of securing an automatic Public Inquiry, as would have been required by the legislation.

The Minister was then expected to use his discretionary powers to call an Inquiry because of the strenuous representations against the scheme by the government's statutory advisor on landscape, the Countryside Council for Wales, and objections from the nearest local community councils and many conservation organisations.

It was also hoped that Mr Wilson would reflect the fact that the land in question is owned by the National Assembly for Wales and managed on its behalf by Forest Enterprise and ADAS. If endorsed by the Secretary of State, his decision now means that no formal public discussion has taken place on the wider issues involved, in an area recognised as of national landscape significance.

The Director of CPRW, Merfyn Williams said:

" This is the first time that the National Assembly has had to grapple with an application to the DTI for a major wind power station, and it is also the first time in the UK that consent under this legislation has been given for this technology. While the signatories are, of course, concerned about the protection of the wild places of Wales, they are also concerned that because of poorly understood procedures and relationship between Cardiff Bay and Whitehall, such a huge project in such a sensitive location might go ahead without a full public assessment of its benefits and adverse environmental impacts."

1. Under the 1989 Electricity Act, proposals for power stations above 50 megawatts capacity fall to be determined by the DTI, who are required to call a Public Inquiry if a local planning authority objects, and may do so if there are other relevant reasons.

2. The signatories were:

Morlais Owens. Chairman, Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales

Richard Cuthbertson MBE, Chairman, National Trust (Wales)

Sir Richard Lloyd Jones KCB, President, Ramblers' Association

Geoff Pedley, Chairman, Wildlife Trusts (Wales)

Professor Ron Edwards CBE, Vice President, Council for National Parks

Cedric Milner, Chairman, Snowdonia Society

3. The text of the letter follows below:

We wish to protest in the strongest possible terms about the announcement made on December 10th 2001 by Mr. Brian Wilson, Minister for Energy, that he was minded to give consent for the Cefn Croes wind power station, the largest yet to be built in the UK, without conducting a Public Inquiry.

The 39 Cefn Croes turbines, up to 100m high, will destroy the peace and tranquillity of a landscape which epitomises the rolling uplands of Wales in an area recognised as being of national landscape significance.

Despite the strongest representations from the Countryside Council for Wales and massive local opposition, in July 2001 Ceredigion County councillors rejected their officer's detailed recommendation to object to the proposal. Their short debate paid little attention to local planning policies and national guidance, yet it remains the only public discussion on the proposal.

Despite the facts that this scheme is located on public land, managed by ADAS and by Forest Enterprise on behalf of the National Assembly, and that this is the first s36 application for a wind power station in Wales, there was no further discussion within the Assembly before a letter went from a civil servant to your staff at the DTI.

We urge you to reconsider this decision and call a Public Inquiry into this proposal, so that its benefits in terms of renewable energy may be assessed against its adverse environmental impact.

Immediate Release

Cefn Croes Ceredigion: Conservation groups call for Public Inquiry into UK's biggest wind power station