01 September 2010

Local people who would like to comment can view the planning application on the Stroud District Council's Planning website, where you can also leave comments in support of the application:

http://www.stroud.gov.uk/docs/planning/planning_application_detail.asp?AppRef=S.10/1638/FUL

Or you can write to Stroud District Council, quoting application number S.10/1638/FUL , and send it to;

Stroud District Council
Ebley Mill
Stroud
Gloucestershire
GL5 4UB

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25 August 2010

We have now submitted our planning application for four modern windmills in Berkeley Vale to Stroud District Council. The detailed planning application contains a range of technical photomontages that accurately represent how the turbines would look, together with a comprehensive environmental assessment section. It includes the results of background noise monitoring at various locations in the local area and months of wildlife research for the site, as well as a host of other detailed studies.

Stroud District Council’s Planning Department now has 16 weeks to formally consider the application and make a decision. The application can be viewed by members of the public at the council’s offices at Ebley Mill.

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14 May 2010

Last year, we informed Stroud District Council and members of the public that we had identified a suitable site for a wind park between the M5 motorway and the A38 in the parish of Stinchcombe. The site was identified as being able to potentially accommodate up to eight modern windmills.

Since then, as part of our application process we have undertaken a number of months of detailed environmental studies including ecological surveys, assessments of landscape and cultural heritage features, as well as consultation with the local community. These assessments and consultations have been fed into the final design of the wind park and, as a result, we will shortly be submitting our planning application to a wind park of build four windmills at Berkeley Vale. The wind park will generate 23 million units of clean green electricity every year, enough for the equivalent of over 7,100 homes.

To keep local people fully up-to-date with the latest proposals, we will be holding a public exhibition on Thursday 20th May between 12 noon and 7pm at the Prince of Wales Hotel, Berkeley Road, GL13 9HD, before the application is submitted to Stroud District Council.

Photomontages and other information for the proposed wind park will be on display, and members of the Ecotricity team will be on-hand to discuss the proposal with you and provide the facts on wind energy.

If you can’t make it to the exhibition, an unmanned display will then be at Dursley Library between Tuesday 1 June to Monday 14 June. You can also contact with us directly with any queries at berkeley-vale@ecotricity.co.uk.

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26 March 2010

The Planning Inspector granted permission for the temporary wind monitoring mast on 12th January and was erected a couple of weeks later - feel free to pop along and take a look. You can see the Inspector’s decision here. Our thanks to all those who wrote in support of the planning application and appeal.

Our environmental assessment work is ongoing and we’ll soon be in a position to submit a planning application for the wind park to Stroud District Council. Thanks again to everyone who’s called and written in to show their support so far.

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12 November 2009

Our application for a temporary wind monitoring mast was rejected by Stroud District Planning Committee on the grounds that it would be detrimental to the setting of the Cotswolds AONB. We're disappointed with the decision of course, and it was against the advice of Stroud District Council’s own Planning Officers. The visual impact on the Cotswolds AONB appears to be an odd reason to refuse a temporary structure less than 9 inches wide, outside of the AONB.

Worse still, on the same day the same committee approved our application for a bigger mast actually in the AONB - where the purpose was not for the future building of windmills, yet they turn down our application for a smaller mast outside of the AONB - on visual impact grounds - on a site where we say we do want to build windmills. We’re sure that is something the committee will struggle to explain following the current planning appeal.

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06 July 2009

We are about to kick off the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process.

The Stroud District Council will shortly receive our request for a scoping opinion which will outline the proposal we’d like to progress. Stroud Council will then respond detailing what they’d like us to study and report on as part of our planning application.

This first stage will also draw on the views of statutory consultees, bodies such as Natural England and the Ministry of Defence.