Norfolk Fens wind farm considered

Ministers are considering granting planning permission for a proposed 19-turbine wind farm in Norfolk.

The Marshland Wind Farm, proposed by German developers Notus Energy, will generate 57 megawatts (MW) from a site near Marshland St James.

According to the developers, the site was chosen in part because of a 2007 report by Arup and Partners, which concluded that the north-west of Norfolk is the best place to site wind turbines for maximum returns in the region.

Notus Energy also cites the fact that no insurmountable issues were raised by the 50 organisations that were consulted as part of the scoping study.

Although the 3MW turbines will each be 139 metres tall to the tip, the company claims that this will not be an issue as according to the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the site is already in an area disturbed by visual intrusion.

Plans for the wind farm were scaled down from an original 26-turbine proposal following the withdrawal of landowner members of the consortium.

If it goes ahead, the wind farm will generate enough electricity for the equivalent of 28,000 homes.

Science centre hit by Iceland bank crash

Plans for a science research park in Norwich have been put on hold as the banking crisis hit Norfolk County Council’s funds.

The council, which looked set to provide £1 million towards the Genome Analysis Centre, had £32.5 million deposited in failed Icelandic banks.

It is unclear whether the council, just one of many organisations with money in Iceland, will get its funds back.

While councillors acknowledged the importance of the science centre, they agreed with leader Daniel Cox’s decision to put off pledging the funds until next month.

Mr Cox told the Norwich Evening News: "This type of project is required to take Norwich forward. But there are concerns about the financial situation facing the council in the very short term, so what I would like to suggest is we agree this in principle, but at this stage, given our uncertainty, to defer making the financial decision until our next meeting in November."

Current estimates suggest around 108 councils, as well as public sector organisations such as Transport for London, had up to £800 million in Icelandic banks.

Fly-tipper gets record jail time

A Hertfordshire man who illegally dumped 85 tonnes of waste was given a record-breaking sentence for fly tipping.

Harvey Gibson received a 32-month jail term for "illegally depositing and disposing of controlled waste in contravention of a Waste Management Licence" and of managing a company while he was disqualified.

The Environment Agency (EA) brought the case against the "professional polluter" who dumped the waste in a field west of Reading.

He was also ordered to pay £20,000 in costs at Reading Crown Court.

Between 2004 and 2006 Mr Gibson dumped waste in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, the court heard.

He buried or burned waste including batteries, solvents and plastic in a pit used to supply a public water supply and was caught after an undercover EA investigation.

According to Get Reading Jenny Thomas, an EA technical specialist, said: "Once a contaminant has entered the groundwater, the consequences for the communities’ water supplies and local river flora and fauna can be extremely serious."

The EA also said that prior to the sentencing on Friday, the longest jail term handed down for a similar offence was 22 months in prison.

Norwich ’should get bike hire’

Bicycles for the public to rent could be dotted around Norwich if Liberal Democrat councillors get their way.

Lib Dems on the city council have suggested a citywide bicycle rental scheme modelled on the projects in Barcelona and Paris.

OYBikes, which already has rental schemes in London, Cheltenham and Reading is to visit Norwich City Hall tomorrow (October 14th).

Judith Lubbock, councillor for Eaton Ward, told the Norwich Evening News that the city should capitalise on rising cycling rates.

"We should be building on these figures and finding new ways to encourage more cycling," she said. "It is a good way to get about in the city, it keeps you fit both physically and mentally and it is cheap."

Boosting the number of journeys made by bicycle instead of car could reduce air pollution in the area.

She added that she would like to see hire points at the Railway Station, the Bus Station, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, University of East Anglia, Norwich College and Park and Ride sites.

The OYBike system sees bikes chained to a special bike stand with a lock operated by a LCD screen and keyboard. Registered users call the OYBike call centre citing the number on the lock display and are sent a pin code to release the bicycle.

Upon returning the bike to an OYBike hire stand, the user is given a pin to send the company indicating their rental period has come to an end.

The city council leader Steven Morphew has said that the problem could be finding funding for the scheme.

Gov’t urged to boost housing stock efficiency

The government has been urged to find a new way of encouraging and funding energy efficiency measures for the existing housing stock.

A new report from the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) claims that improving the efficiency of some 25 million homes is necessary to reach national carbon emissions reduction targets.

While the report notes that the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) has led to installation of insulation at a significant rate, it called for more to be done.

Among the reports recommendations is making available green mortgages for improvements such as new windows or boilers.

Homeowners would be expected to pay back the loans as they made savings on their energy bills, while the loans would reduce the up front costs of making improvements.

"Government intervention is needed to create a market for low-carbon homes and industry is crying out for that certainty," said Paul King, head of the UKGBC.

"We’ve been throwing our money out of the window. Spiralling fuel costs and concern about climate change now call for a revolution in attitude."

Stanstead airport extension gets go ahead

Plans for the extension of Stanstead Airport have got the go-ahead despite the concerns of local residents.

The Essex airport will see passenger numbers increase by 10 million a year from the current level of 25 million, with the number of flights going up by over 20,000 annually.

Many in the local area have citied the environment and noise pollution as two reasons why the plans should be scrapped.

Stewart Wingate, managing director at Stanstead said: "We are naturally delighted that the Secretaries of State have granted permission for the next phase of growth at Stanstead."

However Uttlesford District Council leader Jim Ketteridge said that the decision was a blow for the local community.

"Residents already find the level of aircraft noise extremely disturbing and allowing BAA to increase the amount of air traffic marks a further erosion of our quality of life."

Mr Ketteridge’s views were backed by Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Norman Baker who said it showed "that the government is in the pocket of the aviation industry".

Suffolk companies shorlisted for waste treatment

A shortlist of four companies that will compete for a £602 million waste treatment contract has been finalised by Suffolk county council.

A total of 40 separate organisations have bid for the opportunity to have the contract.

The final four are Shanks Group, SITA Uk, Veolia Environmental Services and Waste Recycling Group.

The company that secures the contract will have to provide Suffolk county council with a solution to treat 250,000 tonnes of waste a year.

Councillor Eddy Alcock said: "I am delighted that this contract has been so enthusiastically received by the private sector.

"I believe this interest reflects the excellent reputation of the county council within the waste industry.

"This confidence in Suffolk echoes the confidence of central government, which has agreed a subsidy of £102 million towards its waste treatment facility."

Detailed solutions for the waste treatment are now expected from the council by March 2009, with a final decision by August 2010 and a facility being launched in 2014.

Controversial environment official moves jobs

An official who cut the Environment Agency’s plan to build flood defences in Suffolk has moved to a new job.

Dr Charles Beardall is now to become the regional flood and coastal risk manager for the east of England having been moved from his job as the Environment Agency’s area manager for Suffolk Norfolk and Essex.

The plans for a defence along the Blyth Estuary were said to be not economically or environmentally viable by Dr Beardall.

He blamed sea level rises due to climate change and increasing tidal surges as the reason behind his controversial decision, EADT.co.uk said.

Dr Beardall will now be responsible for co-ordinating inland and coastal flood management systems on an initial assignment of 12 months.

The agency has recently seen a widening of its responsibilities from just cliff fringed areas of the coast and low-lying stretches to the entire coastal strategy.

Lowestoft and Yarmouth have both seen significant floods in past years, as have other areas in Suffolk.