A crowd-funder appeal has been launched to arise £35,000 to stop developers turning the Radnor Forest into a sprawling energy park

Re-think : Don't Break the Heart of Wales has launched a crowd-funder appeal to help them raise the money.  Almost £2,000 has been raised so far.

They say they have six weeks to get as much money in as they can to pay for professional help to oppose Bute's plans in Radnor Forest, the "head of the snake."

Radnor Forest is a land of hill farming and moorlands, with steep narrow valleys and hills, rising up to the highest point in Radnorshire, Rhos Fawr (660m). 

It is much visited by tourists and locals for a wide range of outdoor pursuits and provides vital habitats for wildlife

Re-think say the future of Radnor Forest and its communities is under threat as Bute Energy want to construct 31 turbines on Radnor Forest.

Mostly standing over 200 metres tall, higher than the BT Tower, they would overshadow nearby villages and be visible from as far away as Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park. With them would come overhead power lines, new roadways, borrow pits and a substation.

Two more proposed developments added nearby plus seven existing turbines would effectively create one giant wind farm containing 72 turbines, covering 17 square miles of breathtaking Radnorshire countryside.

Overhead power lines, 60 miles long through the beautiful Towy Valley would connect them to the grid in Carmarthenshire.

A spokesperson said: “At this enormous scale, these plans would decimate rural communities, threaten livelihoods, kill wildlife and destroy habitats.

“These giant turbines are not green, they’re as unreliable as the wind and can never provide a permanent, stable source of energy.

“Bute Energy claims to be ‘Making the Welsh weather work for Wales’, yet any energy it generates will go straight to the UK grid, and the number of permanent jobs that its developments might create is currently unknown. It does promise to pay community benefits, under specific headings and depending on how much electricity it generates. But as it may well intend to sell most or all of its projects at the planning consent stage, communities would be dependent on the purchasers to actually make the payments.

“Because this is classed as a Development of National Significance (DNS) application, the decision on whether these 65 giant turbines are built or not will be taken by a single Welsh Government Cabinet Member advised by a planning inspector. This is wholly undemocratic. “There are also gaps in the data that the developer has produced. We need to put forward the strongest possible opposition, which can only be done with professional help.  

 “We therefore need to appoint a planning and energy expert and other specialists to help us object to the Radnor Forest proposals, and then the two neighbouring ones as they come forward. This will cost many thousands of pounds.”

Re-think hope to raise at least £35,000 to appoint experts to make the strongest objections possible to the plans. 

The money will pay for help with their submission to the planning applications, plus attendance at public hearings as they arise. 

The spokesperson added; “We will probably need more. But if anything remains, it will contribute towards fundraising to oppose other Bute Energy schemes where necessary, or to support a Judicial Review.” 

To support the crowdfunding appeal visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-radnor-forest.

For more information visit www.re-think.wales