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Mr Jake Berriman
Head of Planning
South Shropshire District Council
Stone House
Corve Street
Ludlow
SY8 1DG

4th April 2008

Dear Mr Berriman

Planning Application 1/08/20502/F. Bishop’s Castle Power Project

CPRE objects to the above application because we consider that it does not address the environmental, economic and social impact satisfactorily as required by PPS22 under the heading “Key Principles”. Furthermore, we consider that the potential impact on the adjacent AONB must be taken into account as a material consideration in accordance with PPS22 under the heading “Buffer Zones” on page 14 and that the impact will be adverse.

Environmental, economic and social impact

In support of the Planning Application, the applicant has submitted a “Description of The Project”. At paragraph 5.2 of the “Description” it is stated that the source fuel will be energy crops, non-food crops and woodchip, energy crops being defined at paragraph 9.1 on the “Non Technical Summary”, also submitted, as willow and miscanthus. At paragraph 6.12 of the “Description”, the project life is given as 20 years with a note that 40 years is not exceptional for investments of this kind. It is also stated in that paragraph that support contracts for fuel etc will exceed 5 years and in paragraph 8.7 the contracts are expressed as “long term (10 year) bankable contracts”. Therefore, in summary, it is proposed to place 10 year contracts for woodchip, willow and miscanthus on suppliers within a 20 km radius of the site (see the “Non Technical Summary”) for a period of between 20 and 40 years. This intention, although vital to the sustainability of the processing factory, will ensure that fields of the source material will become a long term feature of the landscape of the area.

Bishop’s Castle is surrounded on 3 sides by the Shropshire Hills AONB. Consequently, tourism makes a significant contribution to the local economy, both in terms of income and employment. A very successful annual Walking Festival capitalises on the beauty and tranquillity of the Bishop’s Castle area. CPRE considers that the result of approving this planning application will be to damage, seriously, both the present tourist industry in Bishop’s Castle and the future prosperity of the town. A report, “Bioenergy in the UK”, published by Link, a partnership between CPRE, RSPB, the Woodland Trust, the National Trust and others, makes it clear that “tall perennial grasses or woody crops (the use of both feature in the applicant’s application) will have a significant and potentially damaging effect on landscape character” and thus on the enjoyment of the area by visitors and residents alike. Moreover, the affect on the diversity of wildlife in the Bishop’s Castle area is likely to be significant in that the cultivation of crops for fuel will form monocultures that provide little sustenance for wildlife. Mature miscanthus is not suitable for ground nesting birds and wild plant populations are likely to be limited by crop shading, dense leaf litter and post-harvest broad spectrum weed control systems. Such damage to wildlife has obvious detrimental implications for the continued value of the countryside for recreational use; again, therefore, prejudicing the prosperity of the town and degrading the quality of life for residents.

Affect on the nationally designated Shropshire Hills AONB

From CPRE’s standpoint, it is essential that the AONB remains an attractive place for visitors in order to sustain the rural communities living within it and adjacent to it. Bishop’s Castle is not within the AONB, but is so close to it as to be an important base for visitors coming to enjoy the amenities of the AONB. The sight of fields of energy crops and the loss of ease of access on foot to and from those fields around Bishop’s Castle that contain rights of way, will damage the attraction of the AONB itself.

CPRE recognises the importance of bioenergy production in the context of the national fight against global warming and climate change, but it does not believe that it is necessary to destroy the special countryside surrounding Bishop’s Castle in order to win that fight. We believe we owe it to future generations to preserve something that will continue to provide sustenance for local people and a place of beauty and tranquillity for visitors from our towns and cities. We hope that SSDC will agree with us and will reject this application. If the plant is built and is commercially successful, the countryside damage associated with its operations will be permanent. If it is not commercially successful and operations cease, the damage already done may well take a generation to reverse.

Yours faithfully,

Derek Bartlett
Chairman
South Shropshire CPRE

Further Information

• Planning Inspectorate inquiry page
• Bishop's Castle Group (the local protest group)
• Bishops Castle Biomass Power Project (developers' site)
• Energy