There is to be a public exhibition in Bolton Low Houses Village Hall on Thursday 30th May from 2pm-8pm to study the latest design which is to be put forward. This is an amalgamation of the Little Waver scheme and the High Pow extension, and is being called HIGH POW 2
This page will not be further updated, please go to HIGH POW 2 and subscribe for email updates to ensure you do not miss future updates.
July 2011
Plans are being drawn up for an additional three turbines to be situated adjacent to these three already built at High Pow Farm. This is additional to the eight turbines being proposed by Your Energy at ‘Little Waver Wind Farm’. Altogether there are currently plans afoot for a total of fourteen turbines in this little pocket of land.
Please use this link for HIGH POW 2 Now the original scheme is operational, it is not expected that any further updates will be posted here. If there is anything to report, it will be noted on the HIGH POW 2 pages.
Please use this link for HIGH POW 2 Now the original scheme is operational, it is not expected that any further updates will be posted here. If there is anything to report, it will be noted on the HIGH POW 2 pages.
November-December 2006
15 August 2006
Two weeks of noise monitoring came to an end today. The consultants were advised that additional activity had taken place at High Pow Farm day and night throughout the period. The anemometer and all monitors have now been removed.
31 July 2006
Noise monitoring equipment is to be installed at a number of properties in the area. These are expected to be Boltonwood Housee, Pow View, Pow Bank, Hideaway and Catlands Foot. It is anticipated that monitoring will continue for up to two weeks at these properties.
18 July 2006
Documents have been submitted by CLP to Allerdale Borough Council with a view to discharging the planning conditions re ground suitability and contamination.
Additional arrangements are being made to begin noise monitoring at a number of properties in the area.
15 June 2006
At a meeting some members of the FORCE committee (see 16 May) Mr Mackie of CLP gave several personal assurances that he would provide information that had been requested of him regarding the High Pow scheme. Disappointingly, since that date nothing has been received in any form.
Mr Mackie had said that he wanted to demonstrate that his company did not conduct themselves in the same manner as Npower Renewables. Looks like a carbon copy so far.
16 May 2006
A number of members of the FORCE committee met with Tristan Mackie of Cornwall Light and Power this evening. Mr Mackie hastily arranged the meeting and as it was such a rare opportunity plans were dropped and/or rearranged to meet him at short notice. Mr Mackie said that Allerdale Planners had expressed concern over the complete lack of public engagement in the process at High Pow and the meeting was an attempt to indicate that his intention would have been to do thiings differently.
Members asked a number of questions, mostly centred around requesting information from the developer and his various consultants. Mr Mackie confirmed that he hopes to begin the construction phase either late 2006 or early next year.
10 May 2006
Following on from the digging of trial pits (see 27 April) this week saw the start of drill testing on the site. It would appear that drilling is taking place on the proposed locations of all three turbines.
27 April 2006
Diggers have been working at High Pow this morning and it appeared that some sort of geophyscial survey was taking place. It is believed that the work is to do with the surveys needed to fulfill the planning conditions imposed by the inspector - certainly the work is to do with the wind turbine development, this was confirmed by one of our members who spoke with the digger operator.
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| Activity on the development site today |
Allerdale Borough Council have confirmed that the developer has had a recent meeting with them to discuss discharge of these conditions and it is believed that CLP intend to begin construction within the year.
7 October 2005
Npower Renewables plc have sold the High Pow scheme to a company known as Cornwall Light and Power (CLP). Earlier this year, CLP was purchased by a newly set up multi-million pound investment company known as Renewable Energy Generation (REG).
22nd September 2005
After several inexplicable delays the Inspectorate have reached a decision on the appeal. Permission has been granted.
Turbines accepted in lowland landscape
Allerdale Borough Council
21/09/2005
Inspector/Reporter: K Durrant
Address: Land at High Pow Farm, Bolton New Houses, Wigton, Cumbria
The construction of three wind turbines on farmland was secured with an inspector placing significant weight on the need to promote renewable energy supplies.
The inspector observed that the existing landscape contained a mixture of lowland, ridge and valley and high limestone character types. It contained undulating pastures, groups of trees, hedges and minor roads flowing across a lowland plateau below the higher land to the south , he recorded. In his opinion although there would be local impacts which would include some change to “well loved views” across the plain, following the construction of three wind turbines, the change would be acceptable and could be absorbed by the landscape. He therefore allowed the appeal.
4th July 2005
After some delay to the proceedings, the Inspector made his visit to the site today. He did not deem it necessary to visit any nearby homes and the visit was unaccompanied.
12th January 2005
HM Planning Inspectorate have received an appeal application for High Pow 2 which was refused permission in October 2004. They are requesting the "Written Representation" method of appeal.
OUTCOME OF THE PLANNING MEETING
One of the proposals for wind turbines at High Pow was withdrawn by the developer the day before the meeting. The second proposal (High Pow 2) was considered by the panel.
A motion was tabled to defer the decision to allow Npower yet more time to tweak the proposals, the suggestion being that they would look at a reduction in the size of the turbines. An alternative motion to refuse the plans was also put forward after an excellent statement from the councillor who spoke of the importance of protecting the viewpoint from Catlands Hill. Significantly, there was no suggestion of approval at all.
Six councillors voted to defer their decision, and six voted to refuse. The Chairman, Councillor Peter Bales, casting the deciding vote, elected to refuse the plans.
We are delighted that this decision has been reached and thank the councillors for their careful consideration of the case. We are confident that this is the right decision.
Heartfelt thanks to all who have supported the campaign against these inappropriate proposals.
Please also see the report on Hellrigg...
7th October 2004 - CHANGE OF VENUE
Allerdale Borough Council will consider both of the High Pow applications at their meeting on Thursday 7th October 2004. The meeting will take place at Maryport Civic Hall commencing at 2pm. It is important that as many people as possible to attend this important occasion, but not everyone who objected will receive notification from the council, so please spread the word.
This time we are confident that the councillors will reach a decision.
Directions: Parking at the Civic Hall is pretty much non-existent. We have been advised to use the harbour-side car park instead. From the Traffic lights in Maryport, follow the Tourist Attractions signpost and you will find this car park easily. From the car park walk back past the Golden Lion pub down Senhouse Street. Turn left at the HSBC bank into Crosby Street then right just before The Butchers Arms into John Street. The first left takes you into Lower Church Street and the Civic Hall is the red building on the left. (About 5 mins from Car Park on foot).
4th September 2004
Today is the first anniversary of the original application for High Pow. Still undecided.
11th August 2004
There will be a public meeting on Wednesday 11th August at the Village Hall, Bolton Low Houses, 7.30pm. This will be an opportunity to view the plans and have your say.
21st July 2004
A new application has been submitted for wind turbines at High Pow. In this application the layout of the turbines has been altered resulting in a 'line of three'. This appears to be the only change from the original submission. This new application will here be referred to as High Pow 2, and the reference number for it is 2/2004/0944.
The application for High Pow 1 - the original 2/2003/1023 - is still current as no decision has yet been made on it and it has not been withdrawn.
22nd April 2004 - Update
At February's Development Panel Meeting, National Wind Power asked for more time to redesign their proposals and to study the geological conditions at the site satisfactorily. To date this work has yet to be completed although there has been some headway with it all.
Currently we await the details of a redesign to the layout of the turbines, although there is some possibility that this will necessitate a fresh planning application. All that can be said for definite at this stage is that the matter will not be raised at the May meeting of the development panel.
5th February 2004 - Development Panel Meeting
Apparently today was not the day that we thought it would be! The developer asked Allerdale Borough Council, in what appeared to be a pretty comprehensive letter, to defer their decision. Following advice from the Borough Solicitor on this matter, the councillors voted to agree to the deferrment.
Although we had speakers prepared, these representations and any further from the applicant and developer will now be heard at the later date which is yet to be confirmed, but it will not be before April and will possibly not be until May!
6th November 2003 - Development Panel Meeting
Congratulations and great thanks to all those who spoke for FORCE at the meeting, and thanks also to those who came along to spectate and show support. It was a nerve-wracking occasion, but the speakers held their own and delivered their statements well.
The applicant fielded two speakers, Mr Jefferson and a representative of Renewables Northwest. The latter waved a piece of paper in the air announcing it to be PPS22, the new planning guidelines issued by the government, and intimated that it made all references to PPG7 and PPG22 irrelevant. These are the current relevant policies - PPS22 was only released on Wednesday 5th November for public consultation. The consultation period for this document does not close until 30th January 2004.
At one point the Chairman reminded the speaker that he should be talking about this specific application only, and warned him that if he did not keep within this rule he would be stopped. The panel questioned this speaker and he was asked who Renewable Northwest actually are. He replied that they were established by the Northwest Development Agency and United Utilities, and when asked if that then meant that he was in favour of wind energy developments he replied that it did.
There then followed a debate among the panel which resulted in the decision to defer for a site visit. It was then agreed, after further discussion, that the council required an independent Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment. This means that more time will be needed, so the application will next be considered by the panel at their January Meeting (We think it is 29th January).
We are delighted to find that the panel agree that to make such a decision requires a higher level of information and assessment than has previously been provided and thank them for their sensible and considerate approach to this case.
2nd October 2003
A meeting of the parish was held on Thursday 2nd October. Also present at this meeting were three representatives of National Wind Power. We were told that Clare Wilson was there to answer any questions.
Considering that "As a Company National Wind Power run a programme of public consultation in respect of all of our applications which is aimed at dispelling urban myths..." we had expected a highly polished public relations exercise. We were grimly disappointed. Ms Wilson seemed irritated by questions and spent much of the time pulling faces, chattering and laughing whilst concerned members of our community were trying to speak.
If anyone had wanted to discredit National Wind Power, it would have been unnecessary. They did it all for themselves.
At the end of the meeting a second vote was taken as to whether or not we wished to object to the application. The result of this was that there were 30 objectors (1 from outside the parish) and 6 supporters (4 from outside the parish).
26th September 2003
Parish Council Chairman receives the parishes one copy of the environmental report accompanying the planning application. We were then able to distribute this to concerned residents.
18th September 2003
Boltons Parish Council held a public meeting to discuss the matter. The outcome of this meeting was that a large majority of those present were opposed to the plans, but extra time was to be asked for so that more information may be sought.
14th/15th September 2003
A number of residents of Boltons Parish received notification of a meeting to take place on 18th September to discuss the planning application. This was the first that most people knew of the matter.
4th September 2003
A planning application was received by Allerdale Borough Council. The proposals include the erection of three wind turbines, each 95 metres high (including the rotor blade). That's approximately 311 feet each making them among the biggest in this country.
