National Park saved from giant wind threat

14 September 2001

The Council for National Parks (CNP) ⁽¹⁾ has welcomed the National Assembly for Wales’s decision to refuse permission for a giant wind development ⁽²⁾ at Jordanston on the edge of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park south of Fishguard.

CNP was a main objector at the public inquiry that was held into this development in November 2000, along with the County Council, the National Park Authority and CPRW.

CNP planning expert Ruth Chambers said: "This is a landmark decision for National Parks and, along with the Assembly’s recent decision to refuse permission for a damaging wind development at Wogaston Farm ⁽³⁾ , clearly demonstrates the Assembly’s commitment to protecting National Parks from the scourge of damaging wind energy developments".

"Although renewable energy is absolutely essential, the location and scale is all important and cannot take place at the cost of our prized nationally important landscapes. The development would have interfered with people’s ability to enjoy panoramic views from the coastal path with its superb views of sea on one side and the timeless, peaceful sweep of the Preselis and Pembrokeshire farmland on the other.

"In this area there is a sense of leaving behind the rush of everyday life and an anticipation that the landscape will continue in its timeless and unindustrialised way for a long time to come. The construction of a wind power station in this landscape would therefore have been very damaging and we warmly welcome the Assembly’s decision."

Notes for editors

1  CNP is the national charity that works to protect and enhance the National Parks of England and Wales, and areas that merit National Park status, and promote understanding and quiet enjoyment of them for the benefit of all
2  National Wind Power wanted to build seventeen 60m high turbines at Jordanston, on the edge of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
3  In August, the Assembly refused permission for the construction of three 75m turbines at a site adjacent to the National Park boundary on the Angle peninsula. 
 

For press queries please contact:
Ruth Chambers, Head of Policy on
020 7924 4077 ext. 222