Vale Of Belvoir “Green Plans” Provoke A Storm

In yesterday’s blog, we touched on Surfers Against Sewage keeping a close eye on wind turbine plans that could affect their surfing conditions, and it still remains a conundrum of modern living, how plans that are meant to safeguard our way of life and the environment can have a harmful effect on some of the areas that they are seeking to protect.

The beauty of The Vale of Belvoir

One such battle is developing at Orston a village that is set firmly in the rural idyll that is The Vale of Belvoir in Nottinghamshire. It is turning into the usual story of campaigners opposing controversial plans that at first glance would appear to be for the benefit of the community.

All is not as it appears however, and proposals for two 74m (245ft) wind turbines and a solar farm are being opposed by The Orston and Surrounding Villages against Turbines group (OSVAT) who say that the developments were too much for the village, which has a population of 450.

As a counter argument, Lightsource, which is behind the planned solar farm, said the village would be able to use the renewable energy before it was distributed to other areas. A spokesman for the firm said, "One of the benefits of renewable energy is that it gets distributed at the closest points first, reducing the carbon footprint immensely for the local village or town first before it gets accessed by wider areas.

"This reduces the strain on the National Grid infrastructure and some areas with really aged networks that may experience power cuts will see improvements.”

Over the years we have become used to the sight of wind turbines, but solar farms are a slightly more modern phenomenon., The one that is the subject of debate would contain some 48,000 solar panels.
OSVAT chairman David Morris said: "We are not against green energy but it must be the right thing in the right place. To have two huge wind turbines looming over the village will close businesses and blight the area. We are here to give a voice to the many people living in Orston and across the Vale of Belvoir who are not being listened to."

Hallmark Power, who are in line to build one of the wind turbines near Spa Lane said it acknowledged that the proposed turbine "was considered to be controversial and that there was local opposition".

"However, it is considered that any potential harm will be limited in nature and extent and will be clearly outweighed by the 'green', sustainable benefits of the renewable energy that will be generated," a spokesperson for the firm said.

The Orston village lies within a conservation area which is thought to have been occupied since at least 1000 BC.

Rushcliffe Borough Council said it could not comment on the applications which were ongoing.

                                                            http://orstonparish.co.uk/

                                                       http://www.valeofbelvoir.co.uk/