Dear All,

 

As someone who originally signed my Petition, I am writing to you to submit an objection to stop Belltown Power’s application to build 17 wind turbines on top of Newlands Hill plus a huge Battery Park. If you have already emailed the Energy Consent Unit ( ECU) with your formal objection, no need to read further. If you haven’t objected, I beg you to do so. Here’s why:

 

Up until the 18th of April – the agreed deadline for objections – we had about 150 objections to 4 from those in favour.
Since then, the deadline was extended to 22nd July – a few days away - and the letters in SUPPORT have multiplied.  To the extent that we are now in the minority. ( It was probably extended by Belltown in panic at the level of objections.)
In the interim, there is plenty of evidence to show that Belltown have been desperately campaigning for letters of support. Which would not be surprising ,given the amount of money they have already invested. Belltown Power “supporters”  have been seen on the streets of Haddington & Dunbar in May begging people to send in letters of support and they have advertised at the Haddington show. Belltown Power’s message is that their investment is critical to averting Climate Change. I don’t think so – their hideous project will allegedly supply 85,000 homes whilst the huge offshore wind farm at Berwick Bank – already under construction - will supply over 6 million homes. 
The letters we have seen in support – they are on the ECU website – are suspiciously similar and talk about Climate Change, not why Newlands Hill is the right place for their development – so we are hopeful that they will be dismissed as specious.
But we cannot take this for granted. SO PLEASE SEND IN YOUR LETTER OF OBJECTION IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS . I attach a note on how to object and what you might choose to say – avoid generality, concentrate instead on the site itself.
 

Very best wishes and remember, every letter helps. Thanks so much for reading this and, in advance, for your support.

Specimen e-mail 

To: representations@gov.scot

 

Subject: ECU00004603 Newlands Hill. Objection to Belltown Power's planning application 30th November 2023

 

 

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

Ref: ECU00004603

 

I am writing to object to the above planning application by Belltown Power in respect of the Newlands Hill Wind Energy Hub. I have many reasons as to why I wish to object. The main one is visual impact. I list below this and other objections below:

 

 

 

 

List all or any of the objections suggested below:

 

 

With turbines up to 200metres to tip, the visual impact of the skyline development is inappropriate and by infilling the unspoilt Lammermuir plateau between the Fallago Rig and Crystal Rig wind farms, the cumulative impact will be unacceptable.
The light pollution of night skies is inappropriate, including flicker effect. 
 The ‘B’ roads and single carriageway roads Belltown Power seek to use for the Abnormal Indivisible Loads (AIL) & HGV routes is not acceptable. They are not designed to take heavy vehicles. This increased traffic will adversely affect business, recreation and tourism. Increased usage of these roads will cause unacceptable removal of hedgerows and stone dykes, damage to ancient woodlands and unimproved grasslands.
Unresolved mitigation plan of AIL route through the Danskine Loch SSSI.
The scoping of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) does not cover the whole of the development. Critically, the EIA does not include connection of the wind farm to the national grid. This is an essential prerequisite for the planning application. Without which no development can proceed.
The EIA does not assess all taxon groups, some of which could be affected by the development.  
The applicant does not identify sufficient biodiversity compensations, within the development proposal, particularly relating to peatland and wading birds and does not meet National Planning Framework 4 ( NPF4) requirements.
The applicant’s proposed enhancements relating to unimproved grassland are inappropriate.
The applicant’s biodiversity compensations are identified as enhancements in the Habitat Enhancement and Management Plan. They do not meet NPF4 requirements.
The EIA does not assess all private water supplies that might be affected by the development.
The development is contrary to the goals of the East Lothian Local Development Plan 2018, in relation to Special Landscape Areas.
The development makes no contribution to Net Zero targets as the local grid infrastructure hasn’t the capacity to utilise the extra power generated by the proposed wind farm or Battery Energy Storage System ( BESS) and therefore does not fulfil the “Need” requirement.
The development adds further financial burden to the UK taxpayer because without further grid infrastructure investment, any additional wind generation capacity will only lead to increased constraint payments. (Payments to the wind farm developer for turning off their wind turbines.)  Furthermore, all current recognised grid infrastructure expansions - which are either in scoping or seeking consent or in construction - will not alleviate this issue.
The noise pollution to properties close to the proposed windfarm is unacceptable.
Belltown Power have failed to use correct data in their carbon offset calculation. Examples being (a) turbine foundations, with a 49% error in the figures used for calculation compared with the figure identified in the written foundation design: (b) even greater difference in the reference plans (technical drawings: (c) an inappropriate fossil grid mix percentage.

 

 

I would be glad to have your acknowledgement asap.

 

Yours Sincerely,

FULL NAME AND ADDRESS