Garforth wind farm plan: Developers deny misleading people
Garforth Today|Sheila Holmes|April 8, 2008
Developers who hope to build a wind farm between Garforth and Micklefield have denied that they misled people in gathering support for the scheme. In recent weeks representatives for Banks Developments have been on Garforth Main Street collecting signatures in favour of their plans for five wind turbines at Hook Moor between Micklefield and Garforth. But opponents of the scheme claim that people were only led to believe they were signing up in favour of renewable energy and not the wind farm itself. Carolyn Walker, spokeswoman for Hook Moor Wind Farm Action Group, claimed that it was only if people asked specifically that they were told the petiton was in favour of the wind farm planning application.
Developers who hope to build a wind farm between Garforth and Micklefield have denied that they misled people in gathering support for the scheme. In recent weeks representatives for Banks Developments have been on Garforth Main Street collecting signatures in favour of their plans for five wind turbines at Hook Moor between Micklefield and Garforth. But opponents of the scheme claim that people were only led to believe they were signing up in favour of renewable energy and not the wind farm itself. Carolyn Walker, spokeswoman for Hook Moor Wind Farm Action Group, claimed that it was only if people asked specifically that they were told the petiton was in favour of the wind farm planning application.
Developers who hope to build a wind farm between Garforth and Micklefield have denied that they misled people in gathering support for the scheme.
In recent weeks representatives for Banks Developments have been on Garforth Main Street collecting signatures in favour of their plans for five wind turbines at Hook Moor between Micklefield and Garforth.
But opponents of the scheme claim that people were only led to believe they were signing up in favour of renewable energy and not the wind farm itself.
Carolyn Walker, spokeswoman for Hook Moor Wind Farm Action Group, claimed that it was only if people asked specifically that they were told the petiton was in favour of the wind farm planning application.
"Apparently this is quite a …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]Developers who hope to build a wind farm between Garforth and Micklefield have denied that they misled people in gathering support for the scheme.
In recent weeks representatives for Banks Developments have been on Garforth Main Street collecting signatures in favour of their plans for five wind turbines at Hook Moor between Micklefield and Garforth.
But opponents of the scheme claim that people were only led to believe they were signing up in favour of renewable energy and not the wind farm itself.
Carolyn Walker, spokeswoman for Hook Moor Wind Farm Action Group, claimed that it was only if people asked specifically that they were told the petiton was in favour of the wind farm planning application.
"Apparently this is quite a common practise with a lot of developers, particularly when they encounter opposition," she said.
"When all the names on the document become public knowledge we will write to everyone to ask them if they signed to support the wind farm or renewable energy in general."
Colin Burgon, Labour MP for Elmet, has also voiced his concern at the way signatures were collected.
He said: "The case for wind power, as with all renewable sources of energy, is a strong one. However, support of it should be on a basis of openness and transparency.
"The use of a company to gain signatures using what appears to be a somewhat misleading approach does not help anyone in the long run."
However, a spokesman for Banks said: "Our representatives in the area made everyone with whom they came into contact explicitly aware of who they represented and what their purpose was and we also produced printed materials which were displayed at the relevant site to highlight all these details.
"Gathering support from, and providing information to, local people in this way is part of the consultation process that we carry out around all our proposed wind farm developments."
Banks has now submitted its planning application for the wind farm to Leeds City Council and people have until April 18 to object.
The turbines are each 406ft high and Carolyn said that she didn't think that people realised their sheer size.
"A wind farm is an industrial site of gigantic proportions and can be seen from a very, very long way" she claimed.
"It will also have a severe and significant impact on the views for visitors to Lotherton Hall."