Oxfordshire Green Party: Statement on Horspath Wind Turbine; 31st August 2009

In response to the article (31st August 2009) in the Oxford Mail about the proposed Horspath Wind Turbine quoting Labour Cllr Ed Turner and CPRE representative Dr. Helena Whall, Oxfordshire Green Party have issued this statement.  It is critical that Oxford City Council helps tackle climate change by taking responsibility for reducing the Council’s own carbon footprint and does what it can to address the City’s overall carbon emissions.  Oxford’s Green City Councillors have been taking the lead in this area.  The Council’s ambitious Carbon Management Strategy, the result of a motion from the City’s Green Group, includes a whole host of carbon reduction measures including the siting of wind turbines on suitable Council-owned land (another idea initiated by a motion from the Green Group).  Whilst reducing energy demand is paramount, and the Strategy include sseveral measures to achieve this (although many original Green ideas, such as the home insulation programme, have since been abandoned by Labour), there will always be a need to generate renewable energy from solar and wind power installations.  After some investigations by the City, several parcels of Council land (incl. Horspath) are being investigated further to assess their suitability as sites for wind turbines.  This requires measurement of windspeeds, using a temporary mast, for an entire year to ensure that there is sufficient wind to make a turbine viable.Although local wind turbines, such as that proposed at Horspath, are notgoing to be able to meet all of Oxford’s needs (this will require a mix of renewable and non-renewable resources both local and national), such installations are part of the solution to providing on-going energy security for the City.  We are disappointed that the CPRE are opposing the Horspath turbine but wish to engage in a positive dialogue with them to see if any of their concerns can be mitigated.  We are, however, more disappointed by the ruling Labour Group’s confrontational style and insulting remarks [1] made about the CPRE – a nationally respected organisation who have proven effective champions of the countryside.  We hope that Cllr. Turner will apologise for his unprofessional comments and seek to engage with more positively with the CPRE on this important issue.

Note [1] Quote from Labour Cllr Ed Turner, Deputy Leader of the Council,  which appeared in the Oxford Mail 31/Aug/09; “The CPRE are the sort ofpeople who would uninvent the wheel given half the chance and stand in theway of anything which is new and progressive.”