Outrage as Llandudno is earmarked for world's second biggest winfarm

Dec 4 2008 by Judith Phillips, North Wales Weekly News

FURIOUS campaigners are calling for a judicial review after the Government gave the go ahead for a massive windfarm off the North Wales coast.

Protest group Save Our Scenery (SOS) is launching a fighting fund after yesterday’s announcement by energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband to approve the 250 turbine Gwynt-y-Môr windfarm.

“This is devastating news, but we’re not going to take it lying down,” said SOS secretary Mike Pritchard.

“Democracy clearly hasn’t been done as the Government has ridden roughshod over all the local democratically elected councils who opposed the scheme. Even the Welsh Assembly said it wanted a public inquiry into it.

“The feelings and best interests of the people of Wales have been rejected and it is a blow to democracy.”

He said the committee would ask for a judicial review.

“To fight the Government we will need money to pay for legal representation so we will have to appeal for public donations to help us do this,” he added.

SOS chairman John Lawson-Reay said: “We have fought for three years to get the Government to see sense and we’re not going to give up now. We hope the public will get behind us and support our continued campaign.”

Llandudno Hospitality Association also opposes the scheme, which will be built 10 miles out of Llandudno Bay and produce enough green energy to power 680,000 homes.

“We feel it will have a devastating effect on the visual aspect of our wonderful bay with a knock-on effect on tourism. The view will be ruined for up to 100 years,” claimed chairman David Williams.

Aberconwy AM Gareth Jones raised the issue at question time in the Assembly yesterday afternoon.

“This extraordinary decision by the Westminster government flies in the face of the democratically-expressed wishes of the people of Wales who have been wholly ignored by a London minister who I dare say has not even been here to witness the visual impact for himself,” he blasted.

“It’s a slap in the face and an affront to the Welsh Assembly, Conwy County Council and the town councils of Llandudno and Colwyn Bay, all of whom have stated that this proposal should go to a public inquiry,” he said.

Clwyd West AM Darren Millar said he was angry that the Assembly’s desire for an inquiry hadn’t been honoured. But Clwyd West MP David Jones claimed the Assembly had shot itself in the foot by approving a policy in favour of windfarms.

“I am totally opposed to Gwynt-y-Môr and other industrial scale windfarms proposed for the North Wales countryside which I will continue to fight against because the cumulative effect of this will have a devastating impact on tourism,” he said. “It is hypocrisy to suggest the Assembly is opposed to it when it passed the Tan 8 policy in favour of windpower.

“People have campaigned long and hard for proper consideration of the impact of this large-scale industrial development off the coast of one the most beautiful parts of the country.

“The scale of the Gwynt-y-Môr development cannot be overstated. The 250 turbines will be visible for many miles around. It will have significant consequences for the seascape of North Wales, especially when you consider the impact of the existing windfarms off the coast which are already in place or under construction,” he commented.

But the project has the backing of the World Wildlife Fund which says it will bring environmental benefits.

Morgan Parry, head of WWF Cymru, said: “We fully support the development of Gwynt-y-Môr and its approval is fantastic news for Wales. It will ensure the country is leading the UK with off-shore windfarms.

“We need more projects such as Gwynt-y-Môr to help reduce our carbon emissions. It is only through landmark projects such as this that we can meet the tough targets set and start to de-carbonise our economy.”

And Paul Cowling, managing director of npower renewables which will build the windfarm, was delighted.

“We welcome the announcement made by Ed Miliband’s newly created Department of Energy and Climate Change. This is an important step towards realising this ambitious project. The decision underlines the Government’s commitment to massively expanding renewable energy generation in the UK to help tackle climate change and improve security of energy supply,” he said.