LETTER on Local Democracy

Renewable Energy Projects Developments of 10MW Capacity, and over, are now classified as Developments of National Significance or a DNS. Such developments are now not to be determined by local Council Planning Departments – now they will be considered for approval by a Wales Government outfit called PEDW which is Planning and Environment Decisions Wales. This PEDW manages casework relating to all these development and use of land in the public interest. It is also the body that Approves or Refuses projects in the strategic interest of the whole nation. In the past Developments of National Significance included seriously large projects like new Airports or Harbours or big Power Stations, especially Nuclear ones, and huge new Water Reservoirs with their main distribution Pipeworks also all new Trunk Roads and Rail and their networks and Motorways. You get the picture. Now Wales Labour Government has lowered the bar to a ridiculous low level as far as Capacity of Renewable Energy producers to By-Pass local Councils and local Democracy to ensure approvals via unelected PEDW Officials, that only Wales Labour Government Ministers control, not us the people via our answerable Councillors. The threshold for Solar projects capacity 10MW (maximum) means that only 10% effective on average this brings it down to just one megawatt in reality or just 500 small electric home fan heaters as shown below. Not enough to heat a small village. How can generating enough solar power for  just 500 of these small home  fan heaters, as below,  be Developments of National Significance like a large Nuclear Power Station?  This is the devious nonsense that Labour Wales Government imposes to destroy your right to local democracy!