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"Fantastic News For Stanhope Weardale & County Durham" HUNDREDS of jobs will be created in the construction of one of the greenest villages in England. Planners paved the way for the Eastgate Renewable Energy Village in Weardale, County Durham, in September 2009 and now the Government has waved the application through. A cable car, dry-tobogganing course and a spa using natural hot springs will be built in Eastgate after Government officials gave the green light. Comprising 65 homes, a hotel, spa and a cable car, the village hopes to be the only place in the country to use all five forms of land-based energy available in the UK - wind, solar, biomass, hydro and geothermal - to provide green and clean power. The Weardale Task Force, which has been promoting the proposal, hopes it will improve the future prospects of Eastgate, which was left devastated by the closure of the Lafarge cement works in 2002. "They say the plans should create up to 350 permanent jobs and attract thousands of visitors a year".Councillors on the authority's planning committee went with recommendations from officers to approve the scheme, saying the proposals would help improve education, skills and job prospects for people in Weardale. Government Office North East (GONE) has now announced it will not challenge the decision to grant planning permission for the eco-village, meaning it can go ahead. The final legal agreement is expected to be signed in the next few weeks. Weardale Task Force chair, John Hamilton said: "This will mean we can move in to delivery at the earliest opportunity. "We are delighted that the work we have done in consultation with the local community over the past six years has been recognised by GONE.
What is Eastgate Renewable Energy Village and what will it include? An ‘Illustrative Master Plan’ of the Renewable Energy Village has evolved over several years, which has been refined to reflect interests expressed from potential developers and operators and from four rounds of public consultation. The Renewable Energy Village will encompass a proposed mix of homes, ‘green’ office and workshop accommodation, visitor attractions, a hotel and – the jewel in the crown – a public hot springs spa. It will also include a biomass plant and tilapia fish rearing building. The site will be accessed by road and an extension to the re-established Weardale Railway line. It will be linked to the existing Eastgate by a new village green. Plans for other parts of the site have also evolved over time. The Riverside Meadows are to include an outdoor learning centre, riverside footpaths and warm water ponds for fish breading heated by geothermal water. A passenger uplift, potentially in the form of a cable car, will travel across the Slopes providing access to leisure activities. The Slopes also offer the perfect setting for the planned dry toboggan run, new and existing woodland and a rural crafts and rare breeds centre. The dramatic area known as the Tops will be the home of the Green Dragon narrow gauge railway and there will be cycle routes for all abilities connecting to an extensive network of mountain bike trails throughout the site. Information will be available to describe the wildlife, geology and history of the quarries and the surrounding North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Key to the development of Eastgate Renewable Energy Village is the concept that it will be powered by all five forms of ‘land-based’ renewable energy available in the UK, which are wind, solar, hydro , biomass and geothermal. The plans took a giant leap forward when the suspected presence of geothermal energy was confirmed in 2004. THE FOSSIL TREE B&B |
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