MP set to battle wind farm plans 

Ryedale’s MP Anne McIntosh has made it clear she will fight and plans to build wind farms in her constituency because they are unreliable and grossly inefficient.

Her move comes as Banks Renewables, developers of the proposed South Dale, Hunmanby Wind Farm announce their final project layout of nine wind turbines measuring 132 meters to the blade tips.

Now, Miss McIntosh, MP for Thirsk, Malton and Filey has joined forces with Euro MP Godfrey Bloom and Bridlington MP Greg Knight on the battlefield in what has been dubbed the War on the Wolds.

She says in a letter to the No to Wolds Wind Farm Group: “I have always been very clear that I stood at the election on a pledge to oppose wind farms.”

The group says this shows she has agreed to resist wind farm developments in her own constituency, going on to state that wind turbines were “unreliable, dependent on hidden Government subsidies and grossly inefficient in delivering a renewable mix of energy.”

She has written to Charles Hendry, minister of state at the Department for Energy and Climate Change expressing her concerns and that the Yorkshire Wolds were not a suitable location for wind energy turbines.

The No to Wolds Wind Farm Group stated that these latest revelations mean that there is now a major democratic force against the South Dale Hunmanby, Heslerton & Thornholme Wind Farm developments and with the Government’s Localism Bill now receiving Royal Assent it will be very interesting to see just what Localism now means.

Steve Hey chairman of the group, said: “We are delighted that Anne has now joined Godfrey and Greg in the battle against this ineffective technology and hope that Mr Hendry will agree with the latest regional reports which clearly show that the Yorkshire Wolds is not the place for this sort of development.”

He felt the Yorkshire Wolds status should be upgraded to stop unsustainable industrial developments sprawling across the landscape.

This month the beauty of the Yorkshire Wolds will be highlighted as David Hockney takes his Bigger Picture Exhibition to the Royal Academy London in a run up to the 2012 Olympics.

Welcome to Yorkshire is currently working with the world renowned artist on the creation of a new Hockney Trail while the local tourist board Visit Hull & East Riding is promoting the area as “Hockney Country” and encouraging artists to enjoy Wolds landscape painting short breaks.

There is also a wide range of promotions including walking and cycling trails and spending millions on the development of a sculpture trail along the Wolds Way National Trail to promote this prehistoric landscape.

The Yorkshire Wolds is already deemed an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty locally although this has yet to be officially recognised and the No to Wolds Wind Farm Group has stated that Natural England already have the legal powers to protect a landscape under such threat.

“Surely with this new democratic force and the massive tourism promotions now underway, the time has come to preserve our heritage and define the Wolds future,” said Mr Hey.