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Eco project in Eastgate gets unanimous approval (From The Northern Echo)
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Eco project in Eastgate gets unanimous approval
3:37pm Tuesday 29th September 2009
A MULTI-MILLION pound eco-project is set to transform a County Durham dale after planners gave it their unanimous seal of approval today.
Eastgate Renewable Energy Village, in Weardale, could create 350 jobs and turn the area into a tourism hotspot to rival the Lake District.
Councillors sitting on Durham County Council's development control committee gave the plans by Weardale Task Force the green light this afternoon at a meeting at Crook. The project, dubbed "Eco-Disney", will feature all five forms of land-based renewable energy available in the UK - wind, solar, biomass, hydro and geothermal.
A hotel and spa, 65 homes, and workshops are proposed along with outdoor sporting facilities. Representatives from the Task Force and objectors from the area spoke at the meeting.
Read the full story in The Northern Echo tomorrow.
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Your Say YourNorth-East
North Pennine Observer, says...
5:38pm Tue 29 Sep 09
Hot springs? Lukewarm springs actually and to make them look hot they will have to truck tens of thousands of tonnes of woodchip up the Dale every year to burn in a huge new power station. The contribution of the other "forms of land-based renewable energy" will be equally negligible.
And even if it did generate a few jobs, it would also bring 65 houses' worth of people needing jobs to the Dale, so don't expect help on the employment front.
With a major sports venue included, it will certainly "transform" this area of outstanding natural beauty. Sadly, for the worse.
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Chris Rowell, Stanhope, Weardale says...
5:34pm Tue 29 Sep 09