Very few people in Stillington appear to have strong views on whether or not a planned wind farm for the area is a good idea according to a survey undertaken by their MP, Alex Cunningham.
Alex wrote to every household in Stillington asking them for their views before making his own submission to the local Planning Authority about the plans which would see four turbines built at Lambs Hill.
“Wind Farms are normally very controversial so I thought it was necessary to gauge local opinion before responding to the planning application. I sent out several hundred letters to local residents with a survey form, included details in my newspaper for my constituents and also made it available on-line but only 14 people in total responded – and they were evenly split between those in favour and those against the plans.
“Whilst it is clear some people have strong views for or against the plans, the vast majority of people appear to have no strong opinions either way.”
The results to Alex’s survey are similar to those from the survey undertaken by Banks Renewables, the developer, who found that around half of their respondents supported their proposal and just 22% opposed them.
“I know it is a difficult call for an MP to come off the fence on issues like this but I am well aware of the need to diversify our energy production into the future as our other natural resources dry up. I have written to the Planning Authority telling them about the outcome of my survey and emphasised that it is important that the Stockton Borough plays its part in approving sites for wind farms,” said Alex.
The Planning Committee are now due to make a decision on the application next month