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PROPOSED WIND FARM
Readers of previous newsletters will know that we have always been somewhat critical of overland wind turbines unless they are located in windy areas. We were hoping that Worcestershire and other counties in central England, where winds are on average lighter than near most coastal regions, would remain free from them.
However, the proposal by Scottish Renewables to construct up to ten large wind turbines (mast 250 feet with vanes 170 feet) on the Lenches, just northwest of Evesham, represents a major threat to all of the Midlands. Because at least 70% of the nearby residents expressed opposition to the scheme, including several CPRE members, we have supported the group called Vale Villages Against Scottish Power in its broad objectives, if not necessarily in all aspects of its campaign.
In our own submission to the company carrying out the Scoping Consultation (a necessary procedure prior to formal application), the following general points were made. We support the development and construction of systems that provide renewable energy, but consider that priority should be given to those which generate the most reliable and
controllable amounts of energy whilst making minimum adverse impact on the landscape.
Although PPS22 states that planning authorities should not reject applications simply because the level of output is small, it would be sensible to locate wind turbines where they will be most effective, particularly since they receive large subsidies both for construction and operation.
Wind turbines are now so large that the landscape becomes subservient to them. Distant buildings of historic interest become trivialised. There is no prospect of reducing their impact through subtleties of siting or the planting of hedges and trees. On the relatively gentle undulations of the Lenches, they will be totally dominant.
We are still at an early stage in the evolution of techniques for harnessing renewable energy. We believe that more effective methods already exist and that others will come forward in the near future. Improvements in the output from wind turbines have occurred during recent years and further progress can be anticipated.
We accept that some inland turbines will make a small contribution to our
energy supplies. However, we consider that the need for renewable energy has not reached such a critical point that it is necessary to ruin all parts of the English countryside through the proliferation of wind turbines.
Other matters which need to be considered include:
• the damage likely to be caused to verges and hedges during transport and construction; persistent noise against the tranquil background of the Lenches,
• danger to birds and low-flying aircraft;
• health problems due to `flicker' at low elevations of the sun;
• loss of moisture-dependent flora due to drying-out of the ground near the turbines.
Frank Hill
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