On 10th July the BWEA held two of its regional conferences at Westmill. Westmill is located at the boundary of the South West and South East regions, and BWEA approached us to see if we could host the event for both regions. We agreed to this on the basis that as a community owned windfarm we could not offer any sponsorship - but several Directors gave their time to help organise on the day.
78 councillors and local authority planning officers attended sessions about local authority roles in windfarm planning applications. Directors Rod Blunden and Richard Lord showed visitors around the turbines and substation and answered technical questions.
The 10th July was windy, so visitors had the opportunity to see the turbines turning quietly.
BWEA Head of Onshore opened the morning with an overview of the UK power industry and the targets for sustainable energy. Other speakers included:
- Cheryl Hiles (Head of Programmes at Regen South West),
- Terry Gasche (a planning consultant who supported Westmills application)
- Nick King (Head of Climate Change Programme Development in the South East Development Agency)
- Alex Murphy (Small Systems Manager at the BWEA)
- Mark Luntley (Westmill Chair)
The last speaker was the Leader of Vale of White Horse Council - where Westmill is located, he spoke without notes and explained the pressures councillors face when applications are made.
The day finished with a question and answer session with a wide range questions from the floor.
The post event feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, 84% of participants reported being very satisfied with the day with the other 16% somewhat satisfied.
