Published in the Hampshire Chronicle on 25th January 2013
HAMPSHIRE county chiefs have confirmed a blanket ban on windfarms on council land despite strong protests from green campaigners.
Members of Winchester Action on Climate Change (WinAcc) and Friends of the Earth failed to persuade the Conservative-run county council to rethink the controversial policy.
Tory council leader Ken Thornber rubber-stamped the ban at a policy and resources meeting yesterday in Winchester after hearing from protestors.
The council’s position is that the adverse impact on the countryside outweighs the benefit in clean, sustainable energy.
But campaigners challenged why a blanket ban was necessary instead of considering the merits of individual schemes, including impact on the landscape as already required under planning law.
Ray Cobbett, representing Hampshire FoE, said campaigners asked the council for evidence to support the ban but was just told it was based on similar policies in Wiltshire and Lincolnshire.
Mr Cobbett said: “As far as we can see this policy is evidence-free and appears to be based almost entirely on subjective opinions by people who don’t like wind farms.”
He added: “Banning wind turbines send a loud and clear message to every major landowner in the county to do likewise and say that Hampshire supports renewable energy provided we don’t have to produce any ourselves.”
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