Wrexham Energy Centre

Enquiry received via email

Wrexham Energy Centre

07 May 2013
Nigel Denton

Enquiry

E-mail received from Mr Nigel Denton:
I am writing to you to object in the most strongest terms to the proposal of Wrexham Power Limited to build a Power Station on the Wrexham Industrial Estate and the proposed route (North and South) for the power line and pylons.
I strongly believe that your proposals are not founded on reasonable grounds. There is no need for a power station in this area as we already have a surplus of electricity produced here over what is used. How can you justify your decision to site your proposed site in this area, surely logic would dictate that other areas would be more suitable? There are areas of the UK where older power stations are being closed leaving suitable sites for new development. What was the basis for your decision to choose Wrexham over other areas?
There would appear to be no benefits at all for the local area in your proposals despite what your literature claims, particularly you have produced no proof of any unreliable supply to Wrexham industrial estate or produced any other cogent arguments as to why such a project is justified..
Additionally you do not appear to have considered a sustainable low carbon alternative development? Surely you could work with the local authority to develop a smaller and sustainable power project that would be able to connect into the Scottish Power system thereby delivering real benefits without pylons. It appears your project is based on the desire to make profit alone and takes no account of the affect to the local area and its residents.
Your proposals will have a devastating affect on Bangor-on-Dee and its surrounding area including disruption during construction, real anxiety for residents over health issues not to mention a scar on the landscape of a peaceful residential area. The environmental damage that would be caused by your development should not be underestimated either, wildlife will be badly disrupted as well as the fishing and walking and other rural pursuits currently being enjoyed.
I therefore await your urgent response to the questions have raised.

Advice given

Thank you for your e-mail dated 7 May 2013 in regard to the above project. Your e-mail is useful for us to monitor emerging issues in response to a pre-application proposal. As you may be aware, however, The Planning Inspectorate can accept this letter for information purposes only at this stage.
The proposed Wrexham Energy Centre is currently at the pre-application stage and is expected to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in late 2013. I therefore encourage you to continue to contact the developer directly at this stage of the process as this is the best time to influence a project. I am aware that, to date the applicant has carried out informal consultation on this project.
At the pre-application stage of the process, the developer is required to carry out extensive statutory consultation (under s42, 44 and 47 of the Planning Act 2008) on the proposals before submitting their application to the Planning Inspectorate. This involves providing information about the proposal to various statutory and non-statutory bodies and the wider community, responding to questions, listening to suggestions and taking these into account to influence and inform the application ultimately submitted. The length of time taken to prepare and consult on the project will vary depending upon its scale and complexity.
Once the application has been formally submitted to the Planning Inspectorate a period of 28 days is given to decide whether to ?accept? the application to proceed to Examination. Part of this assessment will consider whether the applicant has adequately complied with their duty to consult and have taken account of any relevant responses from persons they are required to consult under s42, 44 and 47 of the Planning Act 2008.
I have attached copies of the following Planning Inspectorate Advice Notes which may be of interest to you. These include further information on the planning process
Advice note 8.1: How the process works
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Advice note 8.2: Responding to the developer?s pre-application consultation
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