Just a brief note to highlight this story in yesterday’s Telegraph and Argus (click to go there)

Bradford Council yesterday gave its initial planning approval to the hydro power scheme for the weir in Roberts Park (see earlier posts under ‘Saltaire Hydro’ category on this site). However, it appears that the scheme’s opponents will fight on, and are raising the question of whether or not all the heritage bodies involved — given that the hydro site is in a World Heritage Site — have been properly consulted.

Personally I’d be rather surprised if due process has not indeed been followed with this. The heritage issue is the obvious one to address in this instance, after all, and UNESCO gave the plan its approval quite a while back. The T&A story raises a number of issues around who has or has not been consulted — but then it also claims that the installation will be a “giant” turbine, which is a bit of a daft exaggeration (given that the design is actually quite small scale). So who knows what to believe…

It’ll all come out in the wash, no doubt.

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A postscript to the above: courtesy of a Kirkgate Centre tweet, I’ve just come across THIS ruling by the Charity Commission – which was issued on March 26th (in response to THIS appeal by the Friends of Roberts Park). It would appear that due process has NOT – as far as the Charity Commission is concerned – been followed. Bradford Council may have got itself into a conflict of interest situation over proposing to parcel off part of the park for energy purposes…. Clearly this is going to run and run.