Call to reject new turbines on the edge of Addingham
Another influential voice has been added to the growing clamour against plans for new wind turbines on the edge of Addingham.
The vice-chairman of the Yorkshire Dales Society, Colin Speakman, has called for a ban on wind turbines in and around national parks and other areas of attractive landscape.
Writing in the Yorkshire Dales Review, Mr Speakman, of Grove Road, Ilkley, says that Yorkshire Water’s plans would leave views dominated by the turbines.
He says: “The four familiar ‘small’ 42 metres high turbines alongside the A65 by Chelker Reservoir, after a mere 17 years of intermittent active life, could be replaced by two 125 metre giants with 90 metre blades which would be a dominant feature on the horizon above the famous view from Bolton Priory down Wharfedale, painted by Turner and Landseer.”
While not against wind turbines as an alternative form of renewable energy, Mr Speakman says turbines should be sited offshore or in heavily industrial-ised areas where they might improve the view.
He says: “There is huge scope for offshore wind turbines in the wild and windy Irish and North seas, and, on shore, in some of the many featureless and windswept lowland prairies of eastern Britain and heavily indust-rialised estuaries, where a long line of giant turbines might even add a gaunt beauty to an already despoiled and feature-less landscape.
“But not in the priceless setting of the Yorkshire Dales and our other national parks.”
Yorkshire Water’s plans to replace the wind turbines at Chelker Reservoir could be decided in February.
The scheme will go before Craven District Council’s plann-ing committee at a special meeting on Monday, February 16, at 6.30pm at Skipton Town Hall.
Draughton Parish Council, which has objected, has been encouraged by the council’s decision to throw out plans for turbines at Brightenber Hill, near Gargrave.
Parish councillor David Jones said many residents had been delighted.
“However much you believe in renewable energy, you can’t simply plonk great big industrial machinery all over any available countryside, regardless of the interests of anyone living nearby,” he said.
And the parish council believes the reasons to refuse the Chelker plan are even stronger.
The council’s objections also include the visual impact of the turbines and their close proximity to public rights of way.
Addingham Parish Council has decided not to officially comment on the plans because the site lies outside its area of responsibility, but village residents believe that the 400 turbines would have a large impact on the village.
Mr Speakman says that research has shown that tourists are put off visiting areas where there are large turbines.
“Hilltop turbines are a direct threat to the economy of the Yorkshire Dales,” he says.
The Yorkshire Dales Society is a conservation group dedicated to looking after the national park.
Its vice-presidents include MPs Ann Cryer and David Curry, former Conservative Party Leader William Hague and TV weatherman Paul Hudson.
Mr Speakman also called for people to reduce their energy consumption which would lessen the pressure for new sources of power.
By Paul Langan
12 January 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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