Enertrag Consultation is "a sham"

Enertrag held their first "consultation" on the their Hempnall power station plan on January 18 2007, and were soon apologising for their failure to advertise the event adequately. Only 150 residents turned up to the small room the company booked at the back of the village hall. Perhaps Enertrag felt the main hall, used by SHOWT for our launch, might have felt a little empty.

Notices of the exercise had appeared in two shop windows and on three posts in the village, but contained no branding for Enertrag UK. David Linley, Project Manager for Enertrag UK, apologised for the lack of communication but promised villagers that Thursday's exercise was just the start of a six-month consultation process. He went on to say: "If the vast majority of the people are against this then we will take that into account before deciding whether to press ahead with this project."

SHOWT Chairman Geoff Moulton said:"Only a handful of Hempnall residents have been made aware of Enertrag’s visit. Its so-called community consultation exercise is a complete sham."

District Councillor Michael Windridge said: "Judging from the reactions of the minority of residents who managed to see the exhibition, real concerns about these huge turbines producing unwelcome noise, flicker, and harmful visual intrusion on the rural landscape have actually increased."

Enertrag's David Linley is reported as saying, "We want to listen to people."  This exercise, with illegibly small material displayed at ankle height in a tiny room, rather gave us the impression of a company going through the motions. One might think that Enertrag would have been more comfortable had no-one appeared at all.

As a final insult to the people Linley is supposedly keen to listen to, he is reported as saying: "It is understandable that people are scared of change."  For your information, Mr Linley, the fact that people exercise their right to question whether the proposed industrialisation of their village environment is justifiable, cannot blithely be passed of as being "scared of change" particularly from thosee who stand to profit most.

What a great start, Enertrag; patronising, apologetic and inefficient, all in one day.

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