Windfarm

On the 14th May 2008 npower loaded up a super size lorry and drove it for more than 20 miles to the rural site in Bradwell-on-Sea where they propose to build a new wind farm. The reason was so that they can assess what alterations to roads and locations they will need to make on the proposed route. This is a legal obligation if and when the farm goes ahead. Nothing wrong with that you may think, but the facts may give you a different opinion.

This exercise will have caused major disruption to traffic and other transport systems, the potential to cause damage to small country roads and the surrounding properties is a real and genuine risk.

The project has currently been suspended by the Secretary of State. In fact the Secretary of
State has agreed to pay fees to BATTLE having decided to "quash" npower's application.

This means npower do not currently have a project. If the Secretary of State were to approve the npower application it would immediately be subject to a High Court action. This also means that until the case is complete npower do not have planning permission.

Maldon District Council informed npower before the exercise went ahead that as planning permission does not currently exist, the exercise would have no validity in the planning process and therefore if they ever got planning permission the whole exercise would need to be repeated. The Council advised that they did not want the exercise to go ahead but they were powerless to prevent it.

This means that the exercise means absolutely nothing and will do nothing other than cause major traffic problems and congestion. Why then did npower do it ? What does it say about their attitude to rules and regulations we all have to live by, and what message does it send the people of Bradwell and Tillingham, the people npower claim they want to be good neighbors with ?