In reference to ‘[1] Developer aims to blow away wind farm myths‘ (The Sentinel, June 25).
It is sad that such devastation of a natural environment can be called ‘eco-friendly’. I thought the destruction of 22,000 mature trees should be an eco-disaster. It used to be that trees were carbon friendly – what has changed?
No hidden agenda for eco-village? No hidden agenda for two hotels and a golf course? Who would want to reside under four propellers weighing tonnes – larger than a jumbo jet, roaring round at 120 mph?
Is this a wind farm or a funny farm? Just what is therapeutic to the residents on Maer Hills, Chorlton and Baldwins Gate? Their homes will be devalued overnight.
I suggest to anyone living in the villages close by to sell up before it’s too late, or maybe Claymoss will be prepared to subsidise us all from the money it will receive from the Government for this wholesale destruction.
You have to ask why e-on or Powergen, or any of the generating companies, have not applied to build a wind farm at Maer Hills, while a developer who owns the land has. Where is their expertise from?
Where is the test mast the original application was approved for? Has anyone seen it? If so, where are the results of such tests? No-one I have spoken to knows the answers.
It would appear that even if these turbines don’t work or supply no electricity, this amazing Government will still pay out princely sums for nothing. Your money and mine.
Each big wind turbine earns £400,000 per annum of which half is a subsidy paid for by all consumers. Without this the machines would be bankrupt. So Claymoss stands to pick up over £1 million per annum. There appears to be no specific term either – 20 years or more.
As I write this letter I read in The Sentinel another letter from Ms Oppenheimer – she fails miserably to explode any myths. If she thinks four turbines can save the planet, I ask whose head is buried in the sand?
There is no-one who doesn’t want to see a lasting supply of electricity, gas or oil. No proper thought or planning by the Government has gone into the supply of any of these and to just allow anybody to build turbines anywhere is criminal.
Anyone can see who is going to benefit from this application and it isn’t the residents, some of whom will be living less than 500 metres from the development.
And as far as the ‘nimbyism’ is concerned, that should be levelled at the Government and not to the residents who value their villages.
I think such comments aimed at honest decent people worried about their area are not worthy of further mention, except to say the UK generates about two per cent of world emissions and yet we are going to save the planet?
I am not a member of any organisation connected with Maer Hills and, although a parish councillor, am simply expressing my own personal feelings for the villages I love.
ALAN WILKINSON
Newcastle
[2] The Sentinel
8 August 2008
URLs in this post:
[1] Developer aims to blow away wind farm myths: http://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/25/developer-aims-to-blow-away-wind-farm-myths/
[2] The Sentinel: http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/t-stand-villages-ruined-wind-farm-idea/article-255879-deta
il/article.html
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