COUNCIL CONFUSION

This is for our friends at BLoW, as much as anyone.

Wychavon District Council Wind Energy Informative Note 2010:

6.18 Paragraph 22 of PPS22 states that ETSU-R-97 (The Assessment and Rating of Noise from Wind Farms) should be used to assess and rate noise from wind energy development ...

Email from Wychavon District Council Environmental Planning Manager, 30 December 2009:

There is general concern among the acoustic industry that ETSU-R-97 as the only supported government guidance on the subject is not fit for purpose ... [On] balance our recommendation would be to appoint Mike Stigwood as he is particularly well versed in wind farm applications and critique of ETSU-R-97 ...

Charles Hendry, Minister for Energy, written answer to House of Commons, 27 July 2010:

There is no reason to believe that the protection from noise provided for by ETSU-R-97 guidance does not remain acceptable, and we have no plans to change this ...

Charles Hendry, Minister for Energy, written answer to House of Commons, 14 September 2010:

Planning inspectors are, however, aware that ETSU-R-97 remains the applicable guidance for assessing and rating noise from wind energy developments.

(He then went on to say that 'There are currently no plans to introduce a [two-kilometre] proximity rule.')

So ... a decision taken by Wychavon at the very end of 2009 was directly at odds with government policy and the Council's own observations about the required use of ETSU-R-97.

We at Wind of Change hope that somebody, sometime soon, will offer an explanation for this extraordinary decision on the part of the District Council.