SEA is not in pay of windfarm company

Jan 29 2009 by Our Correspondent, North Wales Weekly News

SAVE Our Scenery’s John Lawson-Reay is mistaken when he claims that Sustainable Energy Alliance – SEA – is a mouthpiece for npower renewables.

For the record, SEA as an environmental organisation is totally independent and is as fully committed in its support for the consented Gwynt-y-Môr offshore windfarm as when it was founded in Llandudno in May 2005 by local environmentalists.

Mr Lawson-Reay speaks of misleading the public yet he appears to have conveniently forgotten that in 2006 SEA made a formal complaint against SOS for a number of its published materials to the Advertising Standards Authority, the independent body that polices the rules laid down in the advertising code.

All complaints were upheld and SOS was told it should hold factually correct information to substantiate any claims made in further materials. Given SOS’s unwillingness and inability to substantiate many of its claims can we really believe anything it tells us?

SEA has always made available substantiated and factually correct information so an informed decision can be made.

Let’s not forget that SEA with the help of FOE Cymru collected close to 5,000 letters of support for Gwynt-y-Môr and 2,000 of these were collected in just 11 days last summer.

Finally, with regard to a possible judicial review of the consent decision, it is our opinion that this would be wholly unnecessary as we believe all proper procedures were followed and the application was given fair and appropriate consideration by the consenting authority.

Furthermore it would be costly – thought to be in excess of £100,000 – and would serve only to delay the construction of the windfarm.

JONATHAN LINCOLN

UK Coordinator, Sustainable Energy Alliance

I DO not know or profess to understand all the number crunching regarding windfarms and in any case we all know statistics can be manipulated to serve any cause.

But what is beyond doubt is the fact that our world’s climate is changing and the emission of CO2 gases is part of the reason. Action should and is being taken worldwide to arrest this situation.

Having a CO2 emission-free windfarm five to eight miles off the North Wales coast, which is well beyond Llandudno bay, is infinitely better than the same on land in the Snowdon National Park, which can genuinely be described as beautiful scenery.

Protestors to the proposed Gwynt-y-Môr windfarm should stop and think of the future generation who will suffer as result of inaction on the emission of CO2 gases into the atmosphere.

Alternative methods of producing must be delivered and windfarms are one of these. This is an SOS wake-up call for the future.

R GAMBRILL

Cwlach Street, Llandudno

WE are not aware that those councillors who whinged about the cost of a judicial review into the Gwynt-y-Môr windfarm objected when they voted themselves a significant pay increase.

The truth is that Conwy County Council has substantial reserves believed to be in the region of £57m.

A simple calculation reveals that the interest is about £6,000 a day, more than enough to cover the cost of advice from an experienced barrister into the prospect of a successful judicial review in the high court.

Even if this hearing cost £100,000 that would be paid for by just over 16 days of the interest.

The democratic voice of our elected representatives has been stifled and ignored by diktat from central government. Even our own Welsh Assembly has been similarly treated.

We are glad our councillors are now willing to stand up and be counted regardless of cost. All that is required is that we have a voice.

JOHN LAWSON-REAY

Save Our Scenery, Llandudno