Little Dunham claims victory in dispute over electricity substation plan
Protestors at the Breckland Council meeting about Little Dunham substation application in 2010.
Martin George
Friday, March 15, 2013
11:54 AM
A small mid Norfolk community has claimed victory in its three-year battle to stop an electricity substation being built in its backyard.
The plans for the structure, which would connect energy from the proposed Dudgeon Offshore Windfarm to the National Grid, faced ferocious opposition from residents of Little Dunham, near Swaffham, after Warwick Energy first submitted them in December 2009.
The proposals had been rejected by Breckland councillors, a planning inspector and ministers, but the issue was re-opened when the High Court last year ordered a second public inquiry, which was held in November.
Both sides were awaiting the outcome when Statoil and Stratkraft, the Norwegian renewable energy companies which took over the Dudgeon project last year, said yesterday they were withdrawing the appeal against the original planning decision.
Simon Fowler, chairman of Little Dunham Parish Council, said: “I am delighted on behalf of the village that our long struggle has been successful.
“It’s a triumph for local democracy. My main delight is for the village. It shows that you have got to stand up when you have something that is completely in the wrong place.”
He added: “I know that one or two people have wanted to move out of the village but have been advised by estate agents not to put their houses on the market because it’s had a depressing effect on prices.
“To a certain extent, life in the village has been slightly on hold, but on the other hand it has brought the community together.”
He also welcomed the support of Mid Norfolk MP George Freeman during the process.
The applicants are now expected to build a substation just south of the A47 in Necton, a site which Breckland councillors gave planning permission for last October, despite the opposition of the parish council
Parish clerk James Watling said: “When they got the planning permission for the south of the A47 we pretty much guessed they would go with the Necton site and the parish council has accepted the fact and we now work together with them to make sure the construction goes on as smoothly as possible and with as little disruption to residents as possible.”
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11 comments
For info, the NIMBYS were opposing a National Grid substation, and not a windfarm. The trubines themsleves are of the offshore variety, so in no way would spoil the rural idyll of this village.
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Mr Cameron Isaliar
Monday, March 18, 2013
DaveG...I hate to break this to you but the Government are going for Renewable energy not dirty coal and nuclear....gey used to our future and stop living in the past.
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D.Simpson
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Build sa many wind farms as you like. The lights will go out moreoften. Call me fussy, but i want lights on every day, not just when the wind is just at the right speed for the blasted blights on our landscape to actually work. We need new coal and new nuclear asap
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DaveG
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Derek Colman, you are correct this is why we need to build more Windfarms NOW so this doesn’t happen....WELL SAID Derek
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MickB1
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Craziness at its best.....and we wonder why this country is in such a state. Same old story NIMBYS holding us all back....well I think they should remove the substations that provide electric to their houses, let’s see who will moan first..!
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D.Simpson
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Wayne Kerr, we will all be suffering interminable power cuts in 2 or 3 years time when several coal fired power stations are closed and we became more reliant on wind power.
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Derek Colman
Friday, March 15, 2013
I am so pleased for Little Dunham, This is the first battle, The next will be to fight the windmills that they will want to blight our county with. The ECO nutters are so nasty and selfish, they have no care at all for people.
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Johnny Norfolk
Friday, March 15, 2013
Can have a load of awful nimbys obsessed with property values standing in the way of progress!
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Mr Cameron Isaliar
Friday, March 15, 2013
A small victory.Warwick seem to have run their consultations to get a favourable opinion by conning those who live on the coast by concealing the ugly intrusive and industrial aspects of energy production and making the most of the pretty white jobs a long way offshore. Perhaps TWR could either reveal how many miles a year they drive on the A47 to show they are familiar with the problems or stop sniping in a way which offends relatives and friends of those who died recently .
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Daisy Roots
Friday, March 15, 2013
Just south of the A47! Don't they know the A47 is dangerous?
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Thoreauwasright
Friday, March 15, 2013
I hope they suffer interminable power failures.
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Sheila Blige
Friday, March 15, 2013