On 23rd December, 2020, the Council of State issued a decision on the environmental permit for Windpark Staphorst. The wind farm, developed by the Coöperatie Wij Duurzaam Staphorst, consists of three wind turbines.
With Pondera’s support, the cooperative submitted a plan to the municipality of Staphorst in 2018 in response to the municipality’s call to do so. The cooperative’s plan emerged as the best out of the five submitted plans following an assessment of process participation, spatial quality and financial participation. In a process of consultation group and public meetings, supported by the EIA process, a preferred alternative was chosen. The municipality of Staphorst issued an environmental permit for this in October 2019. The objections to the appeal against this permit were assessed by the Council of State and discussed in the session in September 2020. There has now been a ruling.
The Council of State has concluded that all the objections are unfounded or inadmissible. This means that the investigations were carried out correctly and thoroughly, and that the preparations by the cooperative and the procedure of the municipality were carried out carefully. The wind farm can therefore continue with the preparations for construction. In its decision, the Council of State requests that the noise values specified by the cooperative as a maximum and explained at the hearing, also be attached to the permit as a requirement.
Pondera is supporting the cooperative in the preparations for the wind farm. This concerns both the preparation phase for the permits in the form of the EIA and the permit applications, the subsidy application (already awarded) and the follow-up towards the construction of the wind farm.
