To: Andy Seaman, Head of Development Services, Torridge District Council

Letter of Objection to the Winkleigh Biomass Power Station
Ref: 1/2149/2004/61/FUL

Since the announcement of the proposed biomass power station in April 2003, the Winkleigh Society has consistently endeavoured to give people living in and around Winkleigh information on the proposal. We have consulted widely with biomass experts, government bodies and individuals and we have now reviewed the additional information by Peninsula Power in August and September 2005. We believe that the new information shows even more clearly that WINBEG would be bad not only for Winkleigh and the surrounding communities but also for mid Devon.

The Winkleigh Society's main reasons for objecting to WINBEG are:

WINBEG does not meet Key Principles of Planning Policy Statement 22: Renewable Energy

1.1 "Renewable energy developments should be capable of being accommodated throughout England in locations where the technology is viable and environmental, economic, and social impacts can be addressed satisfactorily."

1.7 (part) "Developers of renewable energy projects should engage in active consultation and discussion with local communities at an early stage in the planning process, and before any planning application is formally submitted."

WINBEG falls at even the first hurdle, as there is absolutely no evidence that the FERCO SilvaGas technology is viable. It has never worked commercially anywhere in the world and the only demonstration plant closed in mid 2002. The plant was much smaller than that proposed at Winkleigh airfield and at the time of closure it had failed to resolve problems of gas cleanup. Reasons why the Winkleigh Society believes that environmental, economic, and social impacts would be negative for mid Devon are detailed later in our letter of objection.

In the summer of 2004, the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research conducted an extensive opinion survey in Winkleigh. The opinion survey showed that 88% felt negatively towards the WINBEG proposal with only 6% in favour. In November 2004, Peninsula Power held its first public briefing in Winkleigh and the overwhelming majority who attended the information day, presentations and question and answer session remained extremely concerned about the proposal. Over the past year, opposition to the proposal has grown, and Peninsula Power is either unable or unwilling to give detailed answers to how its power station will affect air pollution and noise locally; where the vast quantities of fuel would come from; or how traffic along our unsuitable Devon roads would be affected.

Recent judgements regarding inappropriate sites at Bridgewater (Express Park) and Madley (Hereford Waste Watchers vs. Hereford Council) show that it is vital for the would-be developer to demonstrate that the company has evaluated the right location.

Unsuitability of the Site

A large scale biomass gasification power plant should be sited in an area where there is:
· A reliable fuel source from suitable agricultural practice, soil conditions and climate. There is no evidence that the area around Winkleigh can provide the vast quantities of miscanthus needed to fuel the power station. It is interesting to note that two areas identified by Peninsula Power in the additional information as particularly suitable for miscanthus growing - the Taunton levels and Buckfastleigh - are outside of the 25-mile radius of Winkleigh!

· A good transportation infrastructure. Winkleigh has no rail link and can only be approached by minor roads. The nearest dual carriageways are approximately 13 miles to the south and 18 miles to the north.

· Existing power cables.

· Adequate water supply and discharge. WINBEG will require a vast amount of water - the equivalent for around 2,000 households; and

· Available emergency services. Biomass power stations have a history of fires.

But above all, WINBEG would industrialise a rural area. At a recent Public Inquiry regarding the proposal to build a number of holiday bungalows on another airfield site (which is right next door to the proposed site for WINBEG), the Inspector - Mr C J Ball - stated that the positive benefits, "would not outweigh the harm such a massive expansion would cause to the character and appearance of the open countryside." An out of scale power station would be a much more prominent blot on the landscape.

Proximity to Residents and Businesses

Within a radius of three quarters of a mile from the proposed development, there are approximately:
· 63 private homes and 10 farms with 174 residents.
· 26 businesses and 5 tourism services.
The boundary of Four Seasons, a retirement park with around 86 residents, lies within less than 400 yards of the site and D&S Supplies with a tied residential bungalow, lies at less than 100 yards from the site.

The Winkleigh Society believes that a combination of HGV lorries descending upon the site, noise, odours and light pollution will significantly blight the lives of those who live and work in close proximity to the site. Noise from the power station, particularly from cooling fans of the gasifier, the gas turbines, biomass shredding and materials handling is a great concern. We do not accept that BS 4142 is inappropriate for a rural location, and we find Peninsula Power's arrogant response in 4.3.3.1, "The site is in an area zoned for renewable energy" to be quite extraordinary.

A year ago, the Environmental Statement claimed, "the application for the WINBEG PPC permit has been made in parallel with the planning application." This claim has now been shown to be false. The additional information provided by Scott Wilson for Peninsula Power in August 2005 is inadequate, at best, as much is flimsy, unreliable or nonsense (see detailed Winkleigh Society letter to Andy Seaman 19/10/05).

Traffic

The Winkleigh Society is extremely concerned about the effects that a substantial increase in HGV movements will have along relatively minor roads. There are significant errors in both the EIA and the Technical Review regarding the increase in HGV movements. We believe that WINBEG would require over 50 vast 42 tonne / 60 cubic metre lorries each day. This equates to over three quarters of a million HGV miles along Devon roads per annum. Each HGV lorry does well over a thousand times more damage to a road than a car.

Over the past year, it has become increasingly obvious that processing municipal solid waste (MSW) to obtain cellulosic fibres (CF) would be a high percentage of the fuels. However, it is quite bizarre that Peninsula Power is unable to state where the CF would come from. Surely a major scheme such as WINBEG should be "holistic"? The ramifications of siting a MSW processing plant ("it certainly will NOT be at Winkleigh"- according to Peninsula Power) are considerable, particularly for the increase of HGV traffic along certain routes.

Tractor movements following the harvesting of miscanthus in winter months are not addressed in the EIA and because the Culm landscape has heavy clay soils that are sodden in winter, the Winkleigh Society believes that mud on the road will create an additional hazard for road users.

Employment & Tourism

The Winkleigh Society believes that job opportunities resulting from the power station will be limited, and more than outweighed by the loss of tourism related jobs in and around Winkleigh and the surrounding communities. Over the past few years, tourism related businesses have developed strongly in mid Devon. In Torridge alone, there are over 4,800 jobs due to tourism - 18% of total employment in the district. Nor should it be forgotten that a significant number of people move to the area when they retire because of the unique landscape and tranquil environment. Retired incomers boost the local economy and many contribute in many other ways to the betterment of the area.

The Economic Impact Assessment produced by Ove Arup includes job creation numbers based on the BIOSEM model. Since April 2005, it has been shown that the BIOSEM model had been misused and neither SWRDA (who commissioned the study) nor Ove Arup have been able to give any explanation. If more accurate inputs into the model had been made, it would have shown that the small number of power station jobs would be matched by the loss of jobs elsewhere.

Sustainability / Impact of Project Failure

The Winkleigh Society does not believe that the WINBEG project - if approved and built - has the potential to succeed in its stated aims. Expected failure would result in a vast "white elephant" on the Winkleigh airfield - a major scar on the landscape, which would remain visible over considerable distances for many years.

Over the past few years, the "Winkleigh project" has changed with the wind. Some of the would-be developer's initial claims have been rather amusing or scary, such as in 2001 it was proposed to use airships to carry the wood fuel and even as late as 2004, the scheme included a vast number of associated businesses on the airfield including a "fin fish protein unit" and a bio-ethanol plant. Whatever way one looks at the project, there are so many things that just do not stack up. The claimed international bank backing Peninsula Power has strongly denied any involvement; farmers locally believe that growing miscanthus on any scale would be far too risky and uneconomic; and there are no MSW processors to produce CF of the size proposed in the world!

Today, the Biomass Task Force produced its report to Government. Like the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, the Task Force does not see vast power-only generation plants - such as WINBEG - as the way forward. "Heating with biomass is the hot topic…our findings show that producing heat either alone or in Combined Heat and Power plants is by far the most efficient way of using biomass."

The Winkleigh Society urges Torridge District Council to reject this out of scale ill-conceived scheme.

David Lausen
Chairman, Winkleigh Society
25/10/05