DOES the absurdity strike anyone else – that when London is being brought to a standstill by climate change protesters and Warrington Borough Council is buying solar energy farms in Yorkshire, Gorse Covert is to have a fossil fuel burning power station on a farm on green belt?

Last week WBC’s development management committee approved plans to install gas fired generators to supply the National Grid at New Hall Farm, some 200 metres from Gorse Covert housing.

They had previously refused the application on the grounds of loss of visual amenity although HM Inspectorate had overruled that decision.

Apparently this is no longer valid grounds for objection, since the only significant difference between the original application and the application for ‘variations’ is that the new plan allows for a 24/7 operation instead of the original 11 hours a day.

So while the rest of Warrington can look forward to the provision of renewable energy, courtesy of its virtue-signalling council, Gorse Covert will enjoy the noise and emissions of a fossil fuelled power plant.

There were many objections registered against this scheme by residents and they were strongly supported by Birchwood Town Council.

Perhaps their resistance was seriously weakened by the last minute decision of Cllr Bowden not to speak on their behalf at the planning meeting.

ED AND PAULINE MACKRILL

Gorse Covert