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The Bradworthy Wind Turbines
Councillor
Christie's Weblog
From your Torridge District Councillor Peter Christie
Previous entries
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20th May '07
Having heard vague rumours about a proposed massive wind farm here in North Devon I was tremendously excited to read about its details in the Journal. As far as I can see this could be a win-win situation for the area as a whole. Green energy will be produced, local jobs will be created and the carbon footprint of the South West as a whole will fall – and being at sea the usual anti-wind voices will hopefully be quiet (though doubtless we will soon be using the acronym NIMS – Not in My Seascape). I well remember some years ago arranging a public meeting in Barnstaple Guildhall with the Chief Engineer of the Severn Barrage Tidal Barrage scheme as speaker. He reckoned his plan could have begun almost immediately – yet it never came to fruition owing to the lack of political will evident from both Tory and Labour governments. Let us hope that now all political groups are green to a greater or lesser extent that this new scheme doesn’t end up forgotten and collecting dust on a shelf somewhere. Two problems, of course, spring to mind – who will finance it and will it affect the maritime nature reserve around Lundy? I await answers to these questions with interest. Actually, having mentioned the Severn scheme I do wonder why the turbines couldn’t be put on top of the Barrage in a double energy whammy – though I suspect there are good engineering reasons against it.
‘What is going on with the Bridge?’ seems to be a question on many peoples’ lips. At the recent town council meeting one of Bideford’s county councillors (Devon County Council look after the Bridge) Humphrey Temperley described how in his, admittedly non-expert, opinion the repairs needed on the old structure were not quite as extensive (or expensive) as previously thought. I for one find this rather odd. We were told via engineers’ reports and a public exhibition that urgent and comprehensive work was required to keep the Bridge in good shape – yet when predicted costs soared way over budget suddenly, as if by magic, the work needed wasn’t so extensive or urgent. I can only repeat what I said at the meeting and what I have said before – the Bridge is Bideford and anything savouring of a bodge job just isn’t acceptable.
The vexed question of whether town councillors should give themselves an allowance or not was again raised at the council’s May meeting. Cllr.Tony Inch argued in favour citing rising expenses for stationery incurred by councillors. He was countered by Cllr.Roger Vanstone who very simply said he had stood as a volunteer for the council and thought it would be inappropriate to take an allowance on that basis. I made the observation that every election leaflet I had seen had loudly trumpeted ‘economy’ and ‘cutting costs’ as a major part of the would-be councillors’ platform. The motion was lost but we have agreed to look at expenses for such things as paper and ink.
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