A Message from Jules Pipe, Mayor of Hackney (October 2009)
Green Power on Hackney Marshes?
Hackney’s open green spaces are the borough’s most precious asset and none more so than Hackney Marshes. Much loved by local people, and famed worldwide as the home of grassroots football, the Marshes are very special and anything that impacts on that space is a matter for everyone in this borough. A proposal to put a wind turbine on East Marsh will arouse strong feelings, and it is a matter that deserves serious debate.
The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has proposed putting a wind turbine on East Marsh to generate local renewable energy as part of the legacy of the 2012 Games. The ODA are already going ahead with one wind turbine just across the border from Hackney, on Eton Manor in Waltham Forest. The ODA approached Hackney Council and asked if we would also consider hosting one on East Marsh.
Hackney is committed to cutting its carbon emissions, including signing up to challenging targets to cut them by 10% by 2010. Whilst minimising the use of energy is the top priority, if we want to go even further, using green power has to be a key part of it. We are committed to becoming a greener borough and this is a very practical way of going about it, demonstrating we are prepared to take a lead on this issue. If this wind turbine were to be built, along with the one that is going to be built at Eton Manor, the two could provide the borough with enough green energy to light Hackney’s streets by night and all the main council buildings by day. This would bring about a substantial cut in Hackney’s carbon emissions. The cost of the wind turbine energy to the borough is also expected to be less than the cost of energy from traditional sources – not usually the case with green energy which often carries a premium these days.
Crucially, this proposal highlights the issues around local green energy production. Hackney has previously bought green energy from Scottish hydro-electric companies, but there are many people who have argued that this is just an accounting exercise: paying for green electricity that is put into the northern part of the national grid when the electricity used in the south is likely being generated by coal. This is an opportunity to generate useful – not tokenistic – amounts of truly local green electricity to power things for the community, such as all of Hackney’s streetlights.
I am quite aware though, that there are other issues to consider. Wind turbines are big, and they are not always considered to be beautiful. There will be an impact on the skyline and on the views of and from the Marshes.
There will also be a loss of access to an area of green space around the stem of the turbine – increasingly turbine companies are insisting that the area immediately below the blades should not be open to the public. These two issues are particularly relevant when we have just regained green space and a clear skyline with the removal of the electricity pylons from the area. Some people will be concerned about the impact on the natural environment.
These issues will arouse strong feelings in those who use and care about the Marshes and pros and cons of this project are explored in this consultation.
This is not a referendum, and it’s not a planning consultation – which would come later if the feedback received now is favourable. It is the beginning of what I hope will be a wide ranging debate, and it is a genuine listening exercise. Both I and the Council want to hear your response to the idea in principle of a wind turbine on East Marsh, and your view will count.
Hackney Marshes belongs to the whole borough and I want as many people as possible to take part in this consultation. On balance I think the wind turbine is a good idea, but if the public response to this is no, then this will not go ahead. This will not be forced through if residents don’t want it.
Jules Pipe
Mayor of Hackney
Page updated: 15 Dec 2009