Turbine campaign cash to benefit vital county charity

Money left from a campaign group's fight to block a major wind farm development in Hemswell Cliff is set to be donated to charity.
The proposed site EMN-160801-100125001The proposed site EMN-160801-100125001
The proposed site EMN-160801-100125001

VOCAT (Villages of the Cliff Against Turbines) raised a staggering £21,000 to fund a fight to stop RWE Innogy UK building 10 turbines taller than Lincoln Cathedral.

Campaigners won the battle back in September when Secretary of State MP Greg Clark rejected the application, following an eight-day 
public inquiry.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Now, £1,800 left from the campaign will be donated to the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance.

Campaigner Barry Dutton said: “We feel that keeping the money for anymore rainy days, whilst, this has merits, poses problems as people need to move on and finish with this episode in their lives.

“So a charity is the most advised way of disposal, with the recommendation that it should be a Lincolnshire charity.

“We intend to send all the remaining monies to the Lincolnshire Air Ambulance.

“I wish to thank all the people who contributed.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

As the wind farm fight progressed, VOCAT had to raise money to pay for legal assistance.

Mr Dutton said: “(There is) not enough to repay to those individuals who contributed or to the villages who supported.”

Mr Clark refused planning permission saying the 126.5m turbines would ‘significantly intrude upon and dominate the setting’, they would result in ‘substantial harm to heritage assets of significant archaeological interest’ and that they would have an ‘adverse visual impact on the setting and appearance of local landscape character’.

RWE said the turbines would have created energy for to up to 15,000 homes 
each year.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Speaking back in September, RWE regional development manager Mark Crawford said: “We are naturally disappointed that we have been refused planning permission.

“At a time when onshore wind farms like Hemswell Cliff could make a positive and increasingly essential difference to climate change, energy bills and local investment, it is a shame that the project will not proceed further and allow the area to be area to meet its own energy needs.”

Related topics: