LIB DEM COUNCILLOR SAYS COUNCIL SHOULD WAIVE THE CHARGES FOR MINI WIND TURBINE PLANNING APPLICATIONS

12.01.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 23rd Oct 2006

MINI WIND TURBINE

Local Councillor Marie Bower is campaigning to persuade Kirklees Council to waive the charges for processing planning applications for people who want to install mini wind turbines on their homes.

"It seems to me to be a nonsense that the government is giving grants of up to 30% of the cost of installing a mini wind turbine (1) for the Council to take back over a hundred pounds in fees for processing a planning application" says Councillor Marie Bower, Lib Dem, Holme valley North.

"The Council should give people proper advice when they approach the planning department, making sure that people have done all the other work they can do to save energy in their homes such as proper insulation, low energy light bulbs, sealing draughts and having high efficiency boilers before they process planning applications. Possibly the council should provide interested residents with a specially designed info pack to ensure that they are in possession of all the facts. However, when residents are certain they want to go ahead, the Council should process the planning applications for free."

Local resident and Chair of Meltham Town Council, David Woodhead says "Local DIY stores are selling mini wind turbines and seem to say that planning permission is not required. On enquiring at the Planning Department at the Council they tell me that in most cases people will have to get planning permission and pay a large fee before they install mini turbines on their homes. It seems unfair to me that they then have to pay this fee to help reduce global warming."

"Global climate change is a huge problem that will cause huge problems if it is not tackled" says Councillor Marie Bower. "I want the Council to make it as easy as possible for people to generate their own electricity by providing proper advice and waiving the planning application fee."

Most of the energy we use comes from fossil fuels and nuclear power stations. During the burning of these fossil fuels, emissions are released into the atmosphere which impact upon our environment. These include carbon and sulphur dioxides which contribute to climate change and acid rain. Both fossil and nuclear fuels depend on limited resources. "We must do all we can to generate electricity locally" says Councillor Bower. "The council must do all it can to make this happen."