SelbyPost 17 January 2013. - Global Title

Thursday, January 17th, 2013
PAGE SEVENTEEN
Wind farm plan unanimously refused
Plans for a new wind farm near Selby have been rejected by district
planners.
The proposed Bishopwood Wind Farm was turned down by Selby
District Council's Planning Committee last week following nearly four
years of bitter opposition between the pro and anti-wind farm lobbies.
Prowind, the renewable-energy firm, had asked the council for
permission to install seven turbines, each with a height of 125 metres, on
land at Scalm Park.
The application was met with strong local opposition from residents,
anti-wind farm protestors and Selby MP Nigel Adams, who were
concerned about the impact the turbines would have on the local
environment and the adjacent leisure and caravan park.
Prowind had initially submitted an incomplete planning application
for Bishopwood in 2009.
Positive change in
policing leads to
drop in child arrests
New figures have
revealed a
significant drop in
the amount of
children arrested
by North
Yorkshire Police in
2011.
Following a
Freedom of
Information
request submitted
by The Howard
League for Penal
Reform, the oldest
penal reform
charity in the UK,
figures for the
police force show
a decrease of
around 500 in the
amount of child
arrests when
compared to the
previous year.
In North
Yorkshire, officers made 2,953 arrests of
boys and girls who were aged 17 and
under during 2011, which shows a clear
drop when compared with the 3,489
child arrests in 2010.
This is the third consecutive year that
figures have fallen, as North Yorkshire
Police made 4,816 arrests in 2008, and
4,170 in 2009.
Temporary Chief Constable Tim
Madgwick, of North Yorkshire Police,
said: “Following a review of the data, I
can confirm the number of juveniles
arrested by North Yorkshire Police in
2011 was 2,953.
“This is in line with the year-on-year
national trend of decreasing numbers of
under 18s who are placed under arrest.”
North Yorkshire Police follows
national guidance when dealing with
juveniles linked to crime and anti-social
behaviour.
Mr Madgwick added: "If it is
necessary to arrest a juvenile who is
suspected of committing an offence, we
make every effort to achieve the most
positive outcome for both the victim and
offender.
“This approach includes actively
engaging with the young person and
their family and working with partners
within the criminal justice system and
other agencies.
“The aim is to divert them away from
a life of crime and the misery that goes
with it, and become responsible
members of society."
Frances Crook, Chief Executive of the
Howard League for Penal Reform, said:
“Children who get into trouble are more
often than not just being challenging
teenagers and how we respond to this
nuisance behaviour could make a
difference for the rest of their lives.
"An arrest can blight a life and lead to
a criminal record for just being naughty.
The positive change in policing children
will release resources to deal with real
crimes.
“Only a handful of children are
involved in more serious incidents and
they usually suffer from neglect, abuse
or mental health issues.
"A commitment to public safety
means treating them as vulnerable
children and making sure they get the
help they need to mature into lawabiding
citizens.
“Under the last government, police
success was measured by the number of
arrests and children proved a seductive
way to make up the numbers.
"The fact that the number of child
arrests across England and Wales has
fallen by a third since 2008 is a
testament to a change of culture, more
focused on public safety than targets.”
More than one million child arrests
have been made in England and Wales
since 2008, but the figures show a
downward trend overall each year.
The Howard League for Penal Reform
is a national charity working for less
crime, safer communities and fewer
people in prison and has been
campaigning for a reduction in child
arrests.
And last week the Planning Committee ruled that the firm's new bid
had failed to provide sufficient details on the "cumulative impact of the
development when taken with other development in the area".
The other reason given for refusing the bid was the potential for high
noise levels affecting Scalm Park.
In reaching their unanimous decision, committee members also took
into consideration the potential loss of "residential amenity" at a home
which was only 575 metres away from the proposed development site.
Current national guidelines state that wind turbines should be at least
1km away from the nearest home.
Mr Adams, who sent a formal objection about the proposal to the
district council, said this week: "I'm very pleased that this development
was unanimously refused by councillors.
"The residents I visited would have been adversely affected by this
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particular development, which would have dominated the landscape
and had a huge, long-term detrimental effect on the west side of Selby.
"Onshore wind farms are inefficient and don't produce adequate
electricity. I wholeheartedly agree with my colleague, the Conservative
energy minister John Hayes, when he says that 'enough is enough'."
Bishopwood was one of a number of proposed wind farms in the
wider Selby district which had been subject to strong local opposition
campaigns.
Mr Adams said he would "robustly oppose" any new wind-farm
applications in the Selby area.
"That includes any large-scale, onshore wind-farm application," he
added. "The only thing that these large-scale developments produce is a
cash windfall for the developers."