Wind turbines vow as Hartlepool looks to a greener future

Council chiefs’ vision for Hartlepool over the next three years will include more measures to ensure sustainability in the town.

But councillors have said they will continue to block wind turbines developments in areas which would be detrimental to people living nearby.

It came as Hartlepool Borough Council Finance and Policy Committee agreed to the vision and strategic priorities for the council plan for 2020/21 to 2022/23.

Council chiefs noted they had received a lot of feedback from different committees and residents as part of talks over the plan since the eight-point draft was revealed earlier this year.

Council chief executive Gill Alexander noted the main gaps identified were the need for greater emphasis on sustainability and diversity in the plan.

Therefore two extra points were added to extend the plan from eight to 10 strategic points to cover these issues.

She said: “There are some specific areas that are related to the diversity within the population and increasing diversity, and by that we mean different faiths, as well as ages and in terms of gender.

“Also there was a concern particularly from our young people that we hadn’t given sufficient focus in the council plan to the actions we would take to tackle the climate change crisis.

“This was focusing particularly on the sustainability of the borough going forward and also in particular the council’s carbon footprint.

“We also want to strengthen our vision to focus on sustainability as well as being a welcoming community.”

Recent years have seen people in Hartlepool up in arms over a number of controversial wind turbine proposals in the town.

Coun Leisa Smith, who represents Seaton on the council, said although she supports sustainability, they must not allow developments which residents oppose to, such as those proposed for a wind turbine on the Tofts Farm Industrial Estate, to go ahead.

She said: “I am totally against the wind turbines in Seaton and Tofts Farm that have been proposed, I don’t want anything that’s put in this council plan that can be used against the residents and council when this goes to planning.

“We clearly do object to that wind turbine being put so close to the residents.

“I agree we should have sustainability, but not at the cost of residents.”

Council officers said the council plan would carry no weight when it comes to planning applications, but the Hartlepool Local Plan would.

The Finance and Policy Committee in the new municipal year will agree the detailed action plans and proposed measures and milestones for the council plan.