Friends of Hastings Country Park Nature Reserve
  • About
  • Events
  • Members
    • Membership Form
  • Constitution
  • Links
  • Contact us
  • The Nature Reserve
    • Biodiversity
    • Management Plan
  • Maps
  • Photos
  • Documents & Publications
  • Walks & Guides

The Friends of the Country Park Nature Reserve condemn Hastings Council’s solar power plan.

13/3/2019

0 Comments

 

There were strong feelings expressed when local residents gathered at the White Rock Hotel on 7 March to discuss the Council’s decision to continue with its proposal for two solar power installations in the Country Park. The Friends of the Country Park group, which organised the meeting, has previously expressed its concern at the decision by the Council’s Cabinet to spend £80,000 on a business study to see whether there is a financial case for building solar panels covering 10 acres of this Local Nature Reserve and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.


That Council decision was made dependent on it first getting advice from Natural England, as the national regulator for protected landscapes such as the Country Park. Natural England has now responded to the Council and made a number of powerful warning points quoting the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework that for areas like our Country Park “This landscape should be afforded the highest status of protection in relation to the conservation and enhancement of landscape and scenic beauty” and that “All development within Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty should be limited in scale and extent”.


Michael Moor, chair of the Friends, commented “Although we all support the idea of alternative sources of power generation, we consider the Council’s decision to plough ahead with its business study regardless of these strong comments from Natural England to be wrong-headed. They risk wasting Council taxpayers money on a project which is unlikely to get past the regulator in the end. We are dismayed by this refusal by the Council to listen to inconvenient facts.”
 
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.