Tiny Turbines Twins

The carefully minded & sighted of you who pass the Pickenhams will have noticed some smaller offspring in the vicinity. Two small turbines, not unlike larger versions of the St Andrew's school windmill, have appeared at Dennis' Kings Row Farm on the high ground off Houghton Lane. 
A rather more leisurely, larger bladed turbine is nearer to the airfield eight, nearby to the Matthews' turkey sheds, at the Blackmore's Daleacres farm in South Pickenham.

EDP

Bracing Breckland part 2

Face freezing but snow free, the clouds looked menacing but blue broke through before blackness beckoned now that we under a month away from the shortest day. 

All photos © J Reed

Darkness fell over the turbines by the Bernard Matthews' turkey sheds as news of its founder's demise yesterday was released. My recently departed neighbour told me that her father, a farmer in my village, knew Bernard when he had his '20 eggs and a second-hand incubator'. He laughed that no one would eat turkey except as a whole bird at Christmas. The group turned over £330 million of its turkey based convenience food in 2008!

Tartan Tidal Turbines

With some of the highest tides of the year on the Norfolk coast today, a rise and fall of around four metres at Wells next the Sea, the intrinsic power of nature came to mind. It makes one wonder whether, as well as harnessing the wind around our wonderful coastline, the power of the bi-daily rise and falls could be harvested. There was news today from Scotland of the unveiling of the AK-1000 tidal turbines which will harness the endless power source from Crown Estate waters off the Orkneys and the Pentland Firth.

The turbines, built by Atlantis Resources Corporation, are said to be environmentally friendly with the blades, turning only at between 6 to 8 revolutions per minute, safe to the aquatic fauna. 

A slightly tardy update on the Matthews' Two. A meeting of the Breckland Development Control Committee on 2nd June approved the recommendation to allow the two turbines at the Bernard Matthews' turkey sheds at the airfield on a 25 year lease. I can report no signs of building work as yet with working turbines not due until 2011.

Turkey Turbines Given Green Light Local Planning Permission

© J Reed

Despite some concerns by the existing turbine owners Enertrag, who fear interference with the eight they run, the two Bernard Matthews' turbines at North Pickenham airfield appear to have been given the green light. Chris Raine, the senior development control officer, will report to Breckland Council this Wednesday with a recommendation to grant planning permission for the 25 year lifespan of the turbines.

Welcome

In the beginning...

Inspired by my new friends @ Norfolk Coast here are my first musings from Mid Norfolk.

North Pickenham is probably most famous for its disused airfield with the eight turbines operated by Enertrag and the largest turkey farm courtesy of Norfolk legend Bernard Matthews. BM has applied to put up two turbines of his own on the site, completely independent from those already there, and not everyone is pleased about it. Planning applications to Breckland Council can now be viewed on line including any formal objections with this simple planning application search facility. Further plans for more modern windmills just down the road were reported in the EDP and that's on top of the two already in Swaffham.

No Denver Boots in clamp down, just on the spot fines

Free parking has always been a blessing to both shopper and purveyor in Norfolk market towns. Thankfully, plans to charge have roused great opposition. Anyone who has had the displeasure of driving and parking in Central London will know of the running battles with traffic wardens (I was once fined for double parking. The evidence provided were two photographs of my car facing in different directions, I was doing a three point turn!) Such madness has not spread this far north east but the EDP reports that the police will crack down on illegal parking in Swaffham, especially on market days.

Unitary or not unitary

After the failure by Suffolk Councils to stop them and to the disappointment of KNL (Keep Norfolk Local) group of district councils, the Boundary Commission has reported to the Secretary of State and has recommended a Norfolk Unitary Authority. 

To have your say write to:

Unitary Structures Team

Zone 3/J1

Eland House

Bressenden Place

London SW1E 5DU

or email NorfolkStructures@communities.gsi.gov.uk

Deadline is 19th January 2010.