On 9th September, the UK Government announced the outcome of the conjoined public inquiry which was triggered by the objection of Powys County Council to five separate wind farm applications, plus an application for an overhead line.
All but one of the appeals against the objections of Powys County Council were rejected by the Department for Energy and Climate Change.
In Llandinam, where repowering was approved, the overhead line was refused and it is highly unlikely that permission will be granted before April 2016 when the subsidies for onshore wind farms comes to an end.
I welcome this decision. It is a victory for local democracy and it is good news for Montgomeryshire. In June 2011, just a few weeks after I was elected as your Assembly Member, thousands of Montgomeryshire people descended on Cardiff Bay to protest against the Welsh Government’s destructive plans. The Welsh Government may have not been willing to listen, but yesterday’s announcement shows that the UK Government has listened and that with passion and determination, people power can win in the end.
Typically, the Welsh Government has been critical of the decision and is also critical of the fact that it was a decision made in Westminster. However, it seems to forget that the role of the UK Government has been to adjudicate on the appeals process and was not a primary decision maker. The UK Government has merely upheld the views of the locally elected representatives of Powys County Council.
Both Glyn Davies MP and I are now pursuing confirmation from the National Grid that they will withdraw their proposals for the Mid Wales Connection project - clearly the line is not required if there are no wind farms to connect to them!
As somebody who has been heavily involved in the protest movement to stop the connection project since before I was an AM, I should feel much happier than I do. But I can't help feeling frustrated that so many millions of pounds have been wasted on this ill conceived idea.
My role in the campaign has been a political one, raising and highlighting the plight in the Assembly, and although the Westminster battle has been led by Glyn Davies, I was pleased to have had two opportunities to discuss the matter with the Prime Minister at Number 10. The political battle was only a part of this campaign and the most significant part was led by a small number of dedicated people who devoted hundreds of voluntary hours with no pay in an effort to protect our wonderful Mid Wales landscape. I would like to congratulate the many dedicated protesters who made their voices heard and these determined people deserve our full thanks and gratitude.
At some point, I suspect these people will be fully acknowledged for their work. But for now, let's just rejoice. We have finally won the battle.