Wind Farm Stoke Goldington

Hartwell Parish Council has received details from Milton Keynes Council of an application for a wind energy development comprising the erection of fifteen wind turbines, each with a maximum overall height of up to 120m together with access tracks and hard stadning areas and a temporary site compound.

Details of this applciaiton can be found at www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/publicaccess follow the on screen instructions and enter application number 11/01193/FULEIS to view all the associated documents.

A group based in Hanslope are objecting to the proposal and have set up an informational website with details of the proposal on www.saveoursalcey.com .

If you wish to comment on the applciation either for or against you can do so via the Milton Keynes public access page using a comments box located on the applications page for assistance with this please contact the MK Council planning department directly on 01908 252358.  All comments must be submitted by the 16th August.

Alternatively you can write to the Senior Planning Officer Mr. Richard Sakyi at Milton Keynes Council

1 Saxon Gate East, Central Milton Keynes, MK9 3ZJ

richard.sakyi@milton-keynes.gov.uk

If is recommended that you submit any coments you have made to MK Council to South Northants District Council as well for the attention of Mr. Michael Warren at development.management@southnorthants.gov.uk .

You must ensure that you comments are of a planning nature comments such as your view from your house, your opinion of the developer or land owner etc will not be accepted some of the links below may help you link your comments to current planning legislation:

Milton Keynes Core Strategy/Milton Keynes Local Plan

The MK Core Strategy has not yet been adopted; it is still at examination.  

The MK Core Strategy http://www.miltonkeynes.gov.uk/planning-policy/documents/CORE_STRATEGY_REVISED_PROPOSED_SUBMISSION_VERSION_OCTOBER_2010_Chapter_7-Appendix_E.pdf has no obvious policy to link to in respect of making objections. The two that are the nearest fit is Policy CS15 on renewable energy (page 75) and Policy CS20 on the Historic and Natural Environment (page 89). In respect of quoting the former policy, objectors may get the best traction in using this policy if they were to highlight the first sentence, noting the negative environmental implications from the scheme compared to the social and economic benefits. In respect of the latter policy the key sentence to concentrate on is the second sentence: ‘Development proposals must consider the character, appearance and setting of buildings, structures, areas, parks and gardens and landscapes that are of historic, architectural, cultural or archaeological interest.’

As it has not yet been superseded by the Core Strategy Policy D5 of the MK Local Plan could also be quoted: http://www.miltonkeynes.gov.uk/planning-policy/documents/Local_Plan_Part_5.pdf  (see page 36) in relation to ‘unacceptable impact on the landscape).

South East Regional Plan

It still exists and therefore remains a material consideration in the determination of planning applications in the MK area: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100528142817/http://www.gos.gov.uk/497648/docs/171301/815607/815696/Pages_from_RSS-3_Section_B.pdf

Policy NRM15 (page 113) may be helpful to quote, as the application needs to show compliance with it.

Landscape Character Assessments

It may be worth objectors looking at the landscape character assessment documents for MK and Northamptonshire to see if there is anything in them that objectors could use to their advantage.

MK one (draft) is at: http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/planning-policy/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=61553

Northants one is at: http://www.rnrpenvironmentalcharacter.org.uk/

Draft National Planning Framework

Although draft the NPPF gives the latest Government position on renewable energy (see page 43): http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/1951811.pdf

However it is generally pro such developments and objectors should probably steer away from referring to it.

Comments made by Hartwell Parish Council will be available to view on our planning pages as soon as they have been submitted.