WHAT A COCKUP!

Anyone passing through the Maer Hills area could not fail to notice evidence of opposition to the wind turbine development. But the fact is that the anti-wind campaign is as much a result of the developer's cack-handed handling of their public relations as anything else.

Claymoss (the developer) have only themselves to blame for the way in which they have repeatedly played into the hands of their opponents and made things difficult for their natural supporters.

The original Claymoss plans were for a holiday camp with two hotels and 800 chalets (now scrapped) as well as the four wind turbines. It was a crazy scheme and it was obvious that it would never work. And not surprisingly it ran into stiff opposition whilst those who would normally be natural supporters of wind energy schemes felt they could not openly support the scheme.

Coupled with this Claymoss failed to market themselves to the local community - to this day there is very little information about who they are, their track record and aspirations. Not surprisingly people became cynical and distrusting.

But Claymoss held on to their plans for the eco-village for nearly two years providing the anti-campaigners open season to build up their opposition virtually unchallenged - and then just a couple of weeks before submitting their planning application they announced that the holiday village plans were scrapped - giving very little time for the supporters of the wind project to re-group.

The information provided on Claymoss websites remains patronisingly over simplified, diabolically sketchy and rather than making their Environmental Impact Statement available online they say that it is available for a cost of £500 - which ensures that nobody will ever read it.

This means that key opinion formers in the community have little to go on - and nothing to help misconceptions and untruths that the information vacuum have lead to.

For this Claymoss have nobody but themselves to blame - and it may yet cost them a two year delay to the project. Meaning a loss of two years' worth of renewable energy that the planet desperately needs.

In spite of this catalogue of errors the wind energy scheme still deserves support - and we urge everyone who understands the urgency of the crisis facing the planet to write and support the planning proposal.  

Maer Hills Action Group

set up by local people in response to the proposal to build an Evolution Leisure Village

Sponsored by Appraisal360 360 degree feedback systems