Green power plant plans rejected
Plans for a £43m renewable energy biomass
plant in north Devon have been rejected by councillors.
Torridge councillors agreed with officials
that the £43m plant was too big for the site on a disused airfield
at Winkleigh. The planning committee voted overwhelmingly against
the proposals at a meeting at Winkleigh Sports Centre. There were
cheers and gasps from the audience which had packed the sports hall
for the meeting.
'Ignoring issues'
Peninsula Power, a consortium of local businessmen, wanted to build
the plant on nine acres (3.6 hectares) of the site, a former World
War II airfield.
Biomass is plant material that is burned,
creating renewable energy. The 23 mega-watt plant would have been
fuelled by a mixture of fast-growing crops, such as willow and miscanthus
grass, as well as cellulosic fibre, created from household waste.
It would have provided enough electricity for 23,000 homes.
Peninsula Power said before the decision
was announced that those against the scheme were ignoring issues
such as climate change and government targets which required 15%
of renewable electricity in Devon by 2010.
It said that it aimed to source all crops
from within a 25-mile (40km) radius of the plant, and all non-crop
biomass such as cellulosic fibre would have been supplied from within
Devon. Officials who had recommended councillors reject the plans
said the project would be too big and would involve excessive transport
distances.
The South West of England Regional Development
Agency said it was disappointed at the decision, which it described
as a setback to the development of biomass in the region. The agency
spent almost £589,000 on the project, with £412,000 being used to
acquire the site. The future of the land now depends on the outcome
of any appeal lodged by Peninsula Power.
Source: BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/4871406.stm
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