The council with one of the largest number of Green Party councillors has rejected a £7.4 million plan to develop the UK's largest university wind turbine project.
The project, comprising of two 2.3MW turbines, would have cut carbon emissions at Lancaster University by more than 38 per cent and meet the electricity requirements of the 7,000 students living on campus.
The scheme is part of the Lancaster University’s Sustainable Infrastructure Masterplan, a ground-breaking programme to make the University campus one of the most sustainable in Britain and a world leader on meeting the challenge of climate change.
Other key elements of the master plan include the use of biomass boilers to provide heat for parts of the site and the introduction of smart meter technology.
Lancaster would have received a repayable grant of £5 million towards the £7.4m needed to build the turbines on its Hazelrigg site, east of the M6, from the Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE), if the plan had received the go-ahead.
However, the plans were rejected by Lancaster City Council at a planning meeting this week. Ironically, the council boasts 12 Green Party councillors – the largest Green influence within any local authority in the country.
A 1011-name petition was submitted to the council in support of the proposed scheme.
However, a list of local bodies and consultants, including the local Tree Protection Officer, the Environment Agency and local parish councils all objected.
One local resident wrote to the council committee in support of the scheme, saying: “These wind turbines are a wonderful idea and will greatly enhance the reputation of Lancaster and the university, on top of the direct practical benefits.”
Another resident, added in her support letter: “I would like to support this application. It is important for the City Council to support attempts to use renewable energy and cut carbon emissions.
“At the same time the Council would be providing support to the organisation which is the most significant contributor to the economy of the district, ie the University.
“This support for both these wind turbines and for Lancaster University would be an ideal opportunity for the City Council to raise the profile of Lancaster as a place with forward thinking policies, as the turbines would be seen by the millions of people who travel past on the M6.”
However, opposing the scheme, one Lancaster resident, wrote in her letter to the council: “I do not agree with the planning application of two wind turbines. Unfortunately wind turbines are not effective in generating electricity.
“This is just a gimmick by Lancaster University in order to be seen to be green. If they are so keen on turbines why not build them on the same side as the university is located? Of course they won't do that will they, it would then make them a blot on the university's own landscape.”
Rejecting the application, a statement from the council’s Regeneration and Policy Management Team, stated: “The proposed development, by reason of their scale, design, close proximity and visual impact, would exert a significantly harmful influence on the living conditions currently enjoyed by neighbouring residents and as a consequence would be contrary to Planning Policy Statement 22 and saved policesE4 and E22 of the Lancaster District Local Plan.”
Lancaster University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Wellings said he was “disappointed” with the decision by the council's planning committee and the University was now considering an appeal.
He was backed by Michael Payne, Lancaster University’s Student Union President, who said local authorities needed to do more to help secure green energy supplies for the future and help the UK meet carbon emissions targets rather than turn down the scheme because of its visual impact.
He said: “With the real threat of climate change facing current and future generations, citizens would expect leadership to invest in the future from our councils rather than a not in my back yard attitude.”
The University – whose proposal was described as “exceptional” – was one of only three out of 37 applicants to win funding from HEFCE’s £10m Transformational Fund.
The fund has been made available specifically for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across England to radically transform their approaches to energy consumption and reducing emissions. Lancaster was awarded half the overall total available.
The remaining funds required for the project will come directly from the University’s own budget through major savings on electricity bills, as the wind turbines will achieve a seven-year payback.
Lancaster University Environment and Sustainability Manager Jonathan Mills said the wind turbines would play a major role in lowering its carbon footprint – reducing its reliance on electricity from the national grid and helping it address the global threat of climate change, as well as oil and gas depletion.
Professor Wellings said: “We are very disappointed by this decision. The wind turbines have been designed to play a major role in reducing the University’s reliance on electricity from the national grid and helping us address the global threat of climate change, as well as oil and gas depletion.
“We believe everyone has a part to play in carbon reduction and in creating real change. The wind turbine plan would also pay for itself through significant savings on our annual electricity costs.
“We have taken very seriously any impact the project might have on the local area and environment, with the turbines we’re proposing using the very latest technology available and we have also engaged in an extensive public consultation exercise throughout the planning process.
“We have worked closely with experts to develop a detailed long-term ecology and landscape management plan for the Hazelrigg site.
“Whilst we are disappointed in the decision, we remain firmly committed to reducing carbon emissions, something that is in the interest of everyone living, working and studying in Lancaster.
“We will now reflect upon the views of the planners in detail and look at what further measures we can take to move this project forward in a positive way. We will also be looking at starting an appeal process against the decision.”
Anita Wilson, Lancaster around 2 years ago