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Can anyone tell me why you can (as I understand it) object to planning permission for windfarms in Caithness whilst say living in Vietnam but you are unable to make representations to the Halkirk District Benefit Fund (windmill money) without filling out some form at the Post Office, and incidently living close by the windmills?
I don't seem to remember having to fill in a form to vote for my chosen political party-this is sent to me. Can someone please enlighten me?
Valerie Campbell
20-Jan-09, 11:59
It's probably just a loop hole in the law or something. Then again, maybe the Vietnamese have another agenda...
I would guess that by filling in the forms from the P.O. they are taken more seriously though. It's like an official record that you object which is bound to have more weight behind it. Don't know though.
It's probably just a loop hole in the law or something. Then again, maybe the Vietnamese have another agenda...
I would guess that by filling in the forms from the P.O. they are taken more seriously though. It's like an official record that you object which is bound to have more weight behind it. Don't know though.
Thanks for that. It seems to me yet another way to put barriers up to prevent folks having their say. I was told that part of the rules pertaining to the Benifit Fund was that no funding was allowed to be given to those individuals who would use the funding to oppose the windfarm development but I don't know if this is true. I can't really see why in such a small place like Caithness, you would need to prove where you lived though. I am sure most folks in the vicinity know my residency, so come on HDBF managers-whats it all about? Or am I unable to ask because I have yet to fill in your form!
Looks like the Halkirk District Benefit Fund is gonna get a kicking again!!!!![lol]
Long time no hear David, all the best for the year. Long may your Windmill turn.;)
Not looking to kick anything- just looking for an answer to a question. With these appointed managers surely there is an onus to answer questions about this development/ The very best for 2009 to you and your family also.
I guess it's to prove you're resident in the district? The committee wouldn't know everybody; there are folk coming and going all the time and it's quite a big area. One has to continually show ID whatever one applies for these days unfortunately. We wouldn't want folk from Wick or Dunbeath applying for Causwaymire WF money would we lol?!
I guess it's to prove you're resident in the district? The committee wouldn't know everybody; there are folk coming and going all the time and it's quite a big area. One has to continually show ID whatever one applies for these days unfortunately. We wouldn't want folk from Wick or Dunbeath applying for Causwaymire WF money would we lol?!
The point being you can object/approve of planning permission whilst a million miles away so why do you need to be registered in some way to voice an opinion about how this money from the windmills is managed. In other words you can have a say about something that is planned, but once it is physically there you need to jump the bureaucratic fence. I could see the sense if you were required to live in the proximity of a development before you could voice your concerns or otherwise at the planning stages, however this is not the case which makes the HDBF rules imho laughable, maybe the elected managers should start managing.
Green_not_greed
20-Jan-09, 21:45
Can anyone tell me why you can (as I understand it) object to planning permission for windfarms in Caithness whilst say living in Vietnam
David - thats a little one-sided and as you rightly say later on letters of objection AND SUPPORT can come from anywhere on any planning case - not just windfarms.
The less scrupulous windfarm developers sometimes employ a company to lobby for "green power support" at some well populated place well away from proposed wind farm developments. This usually consists of a craftily worded one page "survey", asking for your name and address. Part of the "survey" will include a line that you support development of a wind farm at Location X. Completed support "surveys" are then submitted by the developer as "letters of support" for the development.
This completely screws up the genuine ratio of support / objection by local people, and should rightly be outlawed. I completely agree that all planning applications should be limited to those within the area within which it is intended - say to within 5 or 10km.
IMO, the Community Council ballots with one simple question (yes or no to the development) are the best indication of local public opinion and should be adopted as best practice at judging local opinion in a fair and representative way.
GNG
David - thats a little one-sided and as you rightly say later on letters of objection AND SUPPORT can come from anywhere on any planning case - not just windfarms.
The less scrupulous windfarm developers sometimes employ a company to lobby for "green power support" at some well populated place well away from proposed wind farm developments. This usually consists of a craftily worded one page "survey", asking for your name and address. Part of the "survey" will include a line that you support development of a wind farm at Location X. Completed support "surveys" are then submitted by the developer as "letters of support" for the development.
This completely screws up the genuine ratio of support / objection by local people, and should rightly be outlawed. I completely agree that all planning applications should be limited to those within the area within which it is intended - say to within 5 or 10km.
IMO, the Community Council ballots with one simple question (yes or no to the development) are the best indication of local public opinion and should be adopted as best practice at judging local opinion in a fair and representative way.
GNG
I agree with what your saying totally but this does not really answer my original question.
Why don't you just go to the PO and fill out the form then?
Green not Greed, there was a similar stunt pulled in Manchester recently over the vote for Congestion Charges.
The Council produced a leaflet about how wonderful the idea was and had quotes from some typical local families from around the area who were all in favour of the idea and in which they explained the massive benefits they would get.
I can't remember how it came to light but there were no such families, they were all completely ficticious and the families in the photographs in the leaflets were all actors,
Enough said!
Green_not_greed
21-Jan-09, 09:33
Jaws - "deja vu" springs to mind when I read your post. Very similar to how "support" was drummed up for a certain Caithness windfarm about to go to Public Inquiry and which was unanimously rejected by Highland Councillors last year. They used Tescos in Inverness as their chosen spot to guage "local" opinion. I don't know about actors, though!
David - are you suggesting that benefits should be restricted to those within a certain distance from the windfarm? From one point-of-view, that's not a bad thing - as then benefits go to those who suffer the most from having to put up with the noise, and unable to sell their properties. However, the disbenefit from this would be restricting benefits to perhaps too small a slice of local population to benefit fully. And I'm sure Highland Council in Inverness hope to make some financial gain from Causeymire and other "benefits packages" on offer. All-in-all, IMO a check to see that those who apply for benefits live locally is probably not a bad thing. Though the definition of "locally" probably needs to be debated further!
GNG
Why don't you just go to the PO and fill out the form then?
I can see absolutely no good reason why anyone needs to fill out this form if it is being used to verify a person's address. Persumably if this is what it is for then some poor soul has to trawl the electoral role to check to see if your telling the truth or not and unless a copy has been bought this would involve a visit to the registrar as you are not permitted to remove or copy this list. In a small community like Halkirk, I would wager that most folks know where most folk live and in any case most folks would be able to produce utility bills etc if they weren't believed. In the case of Westerdale we can only be talking of around 20 or so folk in the immediate area. So IMO yet more bureacracy designed to hinder free speech.
Judging by the number of folks who have viewed this thread to date (486) and the no of replies, it would appear most are in the dark about this.
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