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Here are some of the positive comments made by local people as the project has evolved over the past seven years.
> Hilary Armstrong, North
West Durham MP, 8 December 2006
Local Businesses
> John Maddison, Assistant Headteacher
> Maureen Stanton, owner of On Net
Communications, Wolsingham
> Gerry Stallard, Landlord of the Cross
Keys pub, Eastgate
> Wayne Edy, managing director, inov-8
> Phil Jinks, managing director,
Weardale Fish Farms
> Liz Curry, proprietor, Horsley
Hall
> Bill Hobson, Hobson Brothers
(Refractories) Ltd, Wolsingham
 Hilary
Armstrong, North West Durham MP, 10 November 2009
On November 10 2009, Hilary Armstrong, North West Durham
MP, said:
"The recent decision of the Government Office for the North East not to call in the planning application for the redevelopment of Weardale Works and so allow Durham County Council to proceed with issuing an approval is great news. Weardale has always been a working dale. That is a key part of its attraction – a functioning dale set high up within the wonderful landscape of the North Pennines. With the demise of traditional dale industries over the last decade, the Renewable Energy Village presents a tremendous opportunity – quite possibly, the only opportunity – to provide employment for the next generation. Without it, the social and economic decline being witnessed in the dale today will inevitably continue.
It is hoped that construction work can start in 2011. The Renewable Energy Village cannot come soon enough. It will put Weardale on the map in the most exciting of ways – a real eco-friendly example of rural regeneration."
Further words of support from Hilary Armstrong can be
found here: http://www.hilaryarmstrong.com/news/eastgate081206.php
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 John
Maddison, Assistant Headteacher:
“Wolsingham School and Community
College is already looking at how we can help prepare
the future workforce for Eastgate. We’ll be part
of the local training and education network which ensures
local people are best placed to take advantage of the
job opportunities that Eastgate will bring.”
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 Maureen
Stanton, owner of On Net Communications, Wolsingham:
“If Eastgate gets the go ahead
it will bring excellent opportunities for local businesses
like us. I’d love to have a unit at the Renewable
Energy Village, staffed by local people and servicing
businesses in the site and further afield.”
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 Gerry
Stallard, Landlord of the Cross Keys pub, Eastgate:
“EREV will give us the chance
to turn the dale around, bringing much needed jobs, housing
and wealth back into the area. For me as a local businessman,
it can’t come quick enough.”
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 Wayne
Edy, managing director of specialist off-road running
shoe company, inov-8 (www.inov-8.com),
who hopes to relocate and expand his business to the Renewable
Energy Village, says:
“When I heard about the Renewable
Energy Village it sounded like the ideal place to expand
the inov-8 business - the eco-friendly
site fits perfectly with our ethos of being in tune with
our environment. The potential for ‘green’
office space plus recreation and refreshment facilities
will allow us to develop a comfortable and creative environment
for the team, helping attract and keep local talent in
the Dale.
“Exciting things are happening
at Eastgate and I look forward to developing plans there
for the business. It’s an, as yet, untapped area
with a wealth of opportunities to offer new and existing
local businesses. We at inov-8 whole-heartedly support
the regeneration
project.”
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 Phil
Jinks, managing director of Weardale Fish Farms, plans
to utilise waste heat at Eastgate to cultivate a popular breed of warm-water
fish, tilapia, a potential replacement for depleting cod
stocks, Phil says:
“We were immediately interested
when we heard about the proposed Renewable Energy Village
at Eastgate as we knew it would be ideal for our needs.
“We’re currently in the
process of establishing an organic method of tilapia cultivation
with low density fish stocks, but as it’s a warm
water fish, it must be bred indoors in the UK.
“Previously, we’ve harnessed
the heat generated as a by-product of freezing ice at
skating rinks, but the potential to use heat that would otherwise be wasted in the operation of the biomass plant fits perfectly with our eco-friendly ethos and gives
us the potential to significantly expand our operations
with a sustainable
energy source.”
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Liz Curry, Proprietor, Horsley
Hall Country House Hotel and Restaurant, Eastgate (www.horsleyhall.co.uk)
“The renewable Energy Village as a working, learning environment and visitor attraction will bring in jobs for the community and that has to be good for Weardale as a whole. It will bring in extra people to the region and that will give support to village shops, petrol stations and everything along the way. I think the area needs a draw like this providing it is developed in such a way not to segregate the existing village of Eastgate. The introduction of housing out-with the village settlement area will create a loss of village culture and social awareness and this must be addressed in the final proposals.”
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Bill Hobson, Hobson Brothers (Refractories)
Ltd, Wolsingham
“I’m in full support
of the development as it’s bound to bring employment,
stability and opportunity to the area, and of course that’s
beneficial. The opportunities range from hotels, to renting
bikes to selling things like walking gear to the tourists
and extra people coming to the area. If I was a younger
entrepreneur I would definitely be looking into these
sorts of openings in the market to make some money.
“There’s always a certain
degree of skepticism about projects like this; especially
things like the fish farm as we don’t know anything
about the industry. A big part of this skepticism is the
fear of change as people don’t how it’s going
to turn out or how much money it’s going to cost….
I’m definitely in support of the project though.”
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