Stradbroke Wind Turbine
Comment: Octopus Energy’s plans to install wind turbine between Stradbroke, Laxfield and Fressingfield
This Wednesday, Octopus Energy held an open consultation in Stradbroke regarding the plans to install a wind turbine between the village, Laxfield and Fressingfield. Whilst the matter of planning and approval of the turbine sits with Mid Suffolk District Council, and therefore does not fall under my purview as County Councillor for Hoxne and Eye, I felt it important to attend the consultation nonetheless, specifically to explore the community benefits being offered as part of the project, and the potential funding for additional infrastructure within and around Stradbroke if it’s development proceeds forward.
I should be going into further detail this at a later date, but I thought it was important to stress now that I take a view that is neither for or against the wind turbine project, as it falls outside my jurisdiction and therefore it is simply my role to listen to the concerns of residents on both sides of the debate. I completely understand the need for farmers to diversify their incomes in the uncertainty of the rural economy, but I also recognise that it is not simply those that own the land that are stakeholders in what takes place on and around it.
I look forward to seeing the outcomes of the consultation and the feedback provided by those who attended the consultation, and where this discussion is headed next.