- WINDFARMS generating between 10 and 350 megawatts are all Developments of National Significance (DNS), that are decided in Cardiff and not by our local Planning Committees, which are reduced to the role of ‘consultees’. Currently there is just one windfarm project proposed within Denbighshire, and two in the Conwy CB Council area that will abut or be close to our boundary.
Gaerwen, in Denbighshire, to be sited on a hill called Mynydd Mynyllod, near the village of Llandrillo, in the Dee Valley west of Corwen. There are three smaller turbines adjacent to the site called Braich Ddu, highly visible from the Corwen-Bala road. The developers are RWE, the massive German company involved in many different forms of energy generation in Asia, the USA and Europe. Their (amended) plans are for 2 turbines of 200m to blade tip and 7 of 180m to blade tip. Visit savegaerwen.org for more information or and also search the name of the windfarm for entries on Facebook.
The following two proposals are inside the Conwy County boundary, but due to their locations will impact on areas of Denbighshire:
Alwen Forest. 9 turbines in a scheme including Dwr Cymru and Natural Resources Wales who manage the forestry on the site, which is between the west bank of Llyn Brenig and the Alwen Reservoir dam. The developer is again the mighty RWE.
Moel Chwa Energy Park. This is a proposal by Bute Energy for 12 turbines of 200m to blade tip, in the area of Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr/Llangwm/Cerrigydrudion. There is an existing permission on part of this site for 11 turbines, only one of which has been built. The grid connection will be a new sub-station at Gwyddelwern.
Groups of local people are already getting together to oppose Gaerwen and Moel Chwa. Search the name of the windfarm and you will find entries on Facebook.
- Until recently, there was another wind turbine threat in Conwy CBC, near Betws yn Rhos, which was to be called Moelfre. The developers, Bute Energy again, have announced that they will not proceed with the scheme, because of “technical studies” and “feasibility assessments.” It should not be forgotten, however, that Moelfre, like the others above, is well within the area which has been “pre-assessed” as suitable for wind energy developments and where there is a “presumption in favour” of siting windfarms. The long-term threat here has not gone away.
- We have objected to a retrospective application at Cwm, between Rhuallt and Dyserth, for a timber processing yard, which includes log sawing and log splitting. We felt the site was detrimental to the adjoining AONB (soon to be a National Park) and that operations of this nature should be placed in areas of the county designated for industry. We also pointed out that “if permission is granted for this retrospective application, you will have established the legitimacy of an industrial enterprise at this site, and further applications for expansion may well be made, which you may find difficult to refuse.”
- We also objected to an application at Meliden for three holiday ‘pods’ as follows: “The Clwyd Branch of CPRW refers to the adopted LDP Policy PSE12, which deals with both static and touring chalets/caravans/camping sites, which are to be treated the same way. This is clearly not a touring site, so by definition falls within para 1 of PSE12, which states: “Proposals for new static caravan sites will not be permitted.” In this area, granting permission in this case may well lead to more developments of a similar nature which may be difficult to refuse. For these reasons CPRW objects to the application.”
[instagram-feed feed=1]
