Windfarm’s benefits to community quizzed by councillor

Elgan Hearn Local Democracy Reporter

A councillor has asked for clarification over what benefits there are for a county borough in having wind farms there.

At a meeting of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council’s Planning committee on Thursday, March 6 councillors received the Local Impact Report (LIR) that planning officers had written on the Abertillery windfarm proposal.

German renewable energy giant RWE want to build up to six wind turbines with a maximum height of 200 metres on land between Abertillery and Abersychan.

The site includes parts of Mynydd James and Gwastad Common and straddles the local authority boundaries of Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen county borough council.

National significance

The planning application will be dealt with by Welsh Government planning inspectors as a Development of National Significance (DNS).

This means it will be processed at Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) and a Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary will eventually announce the decision based on a recommendation by planning inspectors.

Cllr Peter Baldwin (Labour) said: “Our officer’s work tirelessly to produce these LIRs and we don’t have a say in it.

“How much do we benefit as a borough from having all these structures?

“The local area should benefit from them.

“If they (developer) are making a lot of money some of that should come back to Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen or wherever.”

“We as a nation gain”

Planning officer, Helen Hinton explained that developers have to explain what “economic gains” the development would produce for the local community.

Ms Hinton said: “For us that comes primarily through employment and the associated benefits of people coming into the borough to work and residing in hotels and keeping money in the economy.

“While we don’t gain any section 106 money, we as a nation gain from reducing our dependency on fossil fuels by using a resource that’s like home grown or home generated, rather than having to depend on other countries whose supply could be cut from us at any time.”

Cllr George Humphreys (non-aligned Independent) told the committee that wind turbine developers can support projects in the community.

“Community projects would apply for funding off them and can gain immensely,” said Cllr Humphreys.

“Negative” impacts

Committee chairwoman, Cllr Lisa Winnett  (Labour) thanked staff for a “really well written” report and councillors noted the LIR.

The LIR is the council’s opportunity of feeding into the process, by explaining what they think Welsh Government planning inspectors at PEDW (Planning and Environment Decisions Wales) should take careful note of when deciding the application.

Blaenau Gwent planners said in the LIR: “The council anticipates that the impacts of the development as a whole would be negative.

“In addition, there are concerns raised that the application lacks sufficient information to allow full and reasoned assessments with regard to biodiversity, and cultural heritage.”

RWE say that the wind farm has the potential to generate power equivalent to the needs of approximately 50,000 homes.

PEDW estimates that a planning inspector’s report on the application will be submitted to a Welsh Government minister to mull over by June.