Bethan

According to Owen Paterson MP website, his next Surgery in Oswestry is on Friday 10th October at The Oswestrian, 1 English Walls, Oswestry. Contact 01978 719973 for more details. Might be worth a visit to see what he knows about the project. He hasn't been very vocal, so far!

Went to the exhibition at The Pavilion tonight. Disappointing that so few Councillors were there from Sellatyn and Gobowen or Whittington Councils. Would have liked to have seen more Gobowen residents present also as many use the roads around Rhosygadfa, Hindford, St Martins, etc. for walking, riding, running etc. Only some questions were answered. My recallections/points made are as follows : Lifespan of project contracted to 25 years, but panels have lifespan of 30 - 40 years. Disposal of site materials and returning land to original state not discussed. Elgin (if they are still in existance then) will be responsible. Government subsidies end in April 2015, Elgin did not know length of consultation period before grant is withdrawn. Land is registered as grade 3 (as is most of Shropshire!) 78 acres will be covered with 60,000 panels (largest in Shropshire) and will yield 15 MWp of electricity to the National Grid. Connection to the grid will be via underground cables near Ebnal Lodge to the grid lines (about 108 meters?) No Pylons involved. No trees or hedges to be cut down or uprooted, but their maintenance and by whom over the period of the project not clear. It is also unclear what the effect would be on the land being in permenant shadow from the panels. CCTV cameras will be installed 3 mteres above ground. Who will monitor is unclear. Sellatyn and Gobowen Parich Council has been offered a 'once only' offer of £60,000 (£4,000 per MWp X 15 MWp) and Whittington Council will probably be offered a similar amount as part of the project is within their district. Elgin regret that this has been published. Whether this is negotiable and with whom on the Parish Councils is not known! Councillors at the exhibition either did not know or were not prepared to say. It is not clear whether the rate of £4,000 per MWp has been offered to other Councils in Shropshire who have been approached for planning concent. There have been projects that have been refused permission. The controversial, multi-million pound project to erect power lines from Wrexam to Oswestry will cross part of this Solar Farm - yet another 'blot' on the landscape! Parish Council Meetings take place at the Pavillion on the 2nd Wed in the month. Next meeting 8th October? As it is likely that this project will have been presented by then, and as it is the largest of it's kind in Shropshire, it would be pleasing to hear if they will be prepared to allocate more time than the 15 minutes for Public discussion at this meeting. Afterall, the residents would like to hear what each of their elected members think about this project rather than read the result in the Parish Council Minutes.

This is an extract from the Shropshir Star : David Meehan, for Elgin Energy EsCo Ltd, said: “We can confirm that we are committed to paying a one-off community contribution to Selattyn and Gobowen Parish Council upon successful completion of the project. The details are £4,000 will be paid per megawatt peak (MWp) installed, for example the total payment would be £60,000 for a 15MWp installation, and payment will be made 30 days after the project is Ofgem accredited. We are also making an offer to Whittington Parish Council.” Very nice, but who negotiated this deal? Is there a hint of pressure here to get the project approved?

Has anyone heard if Elgin Energy are going to hold an exhibition in the Pavilion for the proposed installation? Surely for such an important, large project, public awareness is paramount. Maybe the Council could subsidise the hiring of the Pavilion for a day?

Why the rush and secrecy? The following are some of my observations/views/questions. Will be interested to see if they will advertise another presentation. Hopefully far more comprehensive relative to the specific project and that our Parish Council will allow more time for public debate at their next meeting for such a large project in our area. Projected lifespan of project is 25 years (suspect to could be extended up to 40 years) Government subsidies for such projects end next April Projects should be limited to low grade agricultural land Land owners have been encouraged to switch to ‘Solar Farming’ as they could earn up to £1000 per acre per annum Virtually no benefit to local community CCTV will be installed Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) want to encourage development of smaller scale and community energy production. Aboveground installations should be promoted ahead of ground installations No Government subsidies should be granted on ground installations above 5MW (25 acres) Could eventually expand to ‘Solar Cities’! Could be as high as 3 mtrs or more to allow for grazing? More information needed on how sites are connected to the National grid (above ground cables?) Elgin Energy to talk to Parish Clerk (Mrs. O’Hagan) in mid August – should insist on comprehensive presentation specifically about this project in Pavilion BEFORE Council Meeting on 10th September, and more time set aside for public discussion. Effect on welfare and safety of wildlife including birds of prey and migratory birds. What tests have been carried out for Electro Magnetic Radiation/Emissions on the equipment used in the installation? One of our Councillors (David G. Lloyd) is on the County Planning Committee. Article in Border Advertizser 30th August 2014

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