Whatever happened to Localism?
The wind farm application that we have been waiting for for nearly two years now is finally in. It was validated on May 28th by Shropshire council – despite a litany of factual errors and procedural ommissions. I will be dealing with these in due course – as I have been advised by our legal team to ‘keep the powder dry’.
Yet the opening salvo of the battle has been marred – once again – by a total lack of respect for local democracy. No local residents have been given any notification whatsoever about the impending Morville Parish Council meeting – on June 19th, next Wednesday – to critically vote on the wind farm application. Our 250 strong group (growing by the week) expressly asked Morville Parish Council to be kept informed of developments. No notice is up on the parish notice board (which is just yards from the entrance of Morville Hall, above) and no sign is up anywhere and nothing has appeared in the newspaper – other than a news report saying the application is now in.
That was only in today’s Bridgnorth Journal – Friday. Does anybody really think it is ‘democratic’ to hold a meeting to vote on the issue within just a few days, with nobody being consulted or a group of 250 local residents opposed to the plans not even invited to make a representation? Welcome to local democracy – Morville Parish Council style.
Along with Dr Chris Douglas of Morville Hall, the co-chairman of the local community group opposed to the wind farm at Upton Cressett/Criddon, we have asked that the meeting is postponed so as to give the local community a fair chance to debate the issues with proper notice and warning.
The government has got behind the idea of ‘Localism’ and Local Democracy and yet the Morville Parish Council want to give Parish Councillors just a few days, with no public debate, to make up their minds on a serious matter – the first wind farms in the Shropshire Hills – a subject that has been a highly controversial and lively subject of local debate and even national media attention.
Our local MP Philip Dunne has been asked to intercede MP personally (he has previously said he is opposed to the wind farm as it is ‘in the wrong place) and we will be also calling our local councillor Robert Tindall. This is simply not ‘Localism’.
The Stop Bridgnorth Wind Farm group have not even been notified about the meeting. As Dr Douglas wrote to Mrville Parish Council yesterday: ‘I cannot find and notice of a meeting for local residents and given the importance of this matter, I find this very surprising. Surely we need comprehensive publicity on such a momentous decision for residents in our community (certainly the most important since we came to Morville 16 years ago)?? Given this lack of publicity, the timing of the meeting appears very short’.
He added: ‘Can you please let me know the format of the proposed meeting as I am sure residents will want to attend and have their views known. Also given the impact of the decision on the area, is the Parish seeking the views of the residents or are you just relying on the opinions of the Parish Councillors , including landowners who have an interest in developing these turbine proposals? Given the mass of material on the website and the need to consider local opinion I cannot see that the parish councillors nor residents have been given enough time for a balanced decision’.
Of course DR Douglas is right – but this sort of thing happens at local parish councils – and even country councils – every day, across the country. I have also asked for us to be advised as to exactly what paperwork the Councillors are being given to make their decisions when it does come to vote? Why has our local community group not been invited to submit a summary of the facts ? We have every right to be invited to do so with proper and sufficient notice.
What about conflicts of Councillor interest? Who will be stepping aside from voting? For example the local farmer – and parish council ‘chairman’ Derek Pugh, a local farmer with land behind Upton Cressett, stood down at the last vote – relating to the wind measuring device – because he has previously expressed an interest in wind farms himself.
We have now instructed the London based law firm of Sharpe Pitchard to monitor this case and Morville Parish Council will be receiving a letter from Sharpe Pritchard early next week setting out the legal facts in relation to the NPPF and heritage protection.
Fortunately, it is clear that there are various recent landmark planning rulings – in particular the Grade 1 heritage asset of Lyveden New Bield in Northants (above) which was overturned by the High Court – which directly affect the Upton Cressett wind farm as they are so similar. Another case is that of Grade 1 Kimbolton Castle in Huntingdonshire. There are a number of clear examples where wind farm planning applications have been refused because of close proximity to heritage assets of national significance – as at Upton Cressett/Morville Hall.
The parish council needs to be aware of these rulings which protect heritage assets in the NPPF, as well as the new clear government guidelines issues only in the last two weeks in regards to local communities having a much more significant say in whether wind farms should be allowed, especially in areas of heritage/tourism and in places where there are heritage assets of national significance as at Upton Cressett and Morville – where there is an unusual abundance of Grade 1 buildings and Scheduled Ancient Monuments. We have three Grade 1 listed buildings at Upton Cressett, Morville Hall is all Grade 1 – together, we are one of the most heavily protected heritage sites in Shropshire. Is Morville Parish Council even aware of this?
It is important that the parish council reflects the views not only of councillors but also those of the local community – the councillors are elected to represent the views of the local community in a fair and democratic way.
The next blog will deal specifically with the landmark rulings onnheritage protection inthe NPPF and why they probie clear case law precedent for Shropshire Council’s planning team to refuse the wind farm application at Upton Cressett.