Residents say no to wind farms
Anti-wind farm campaigners in Northamptonshire have hit out at government plans to place more turbines across the countryside as part of a new green energy strategy.
Planning rules will be reformed and a new government office will include residents’ opinions when it looks at the best and worst sites for wind farms.
Government energy secretary Ed Miliband said wind farms must become accepted as a necessary part of Britain’s energy sector and added turbines “have to go somewhere”.
There are 54 turbines planned for a total of nine farms in west Northamptonshire, with the proposed schemes raising the ire of people living in villages nearby, such as Crick, Watford and Yelvertoft.
Pressure group Stop the Spin was set up in Northamptonshire in response to plans and the group has already questioned the impact on the county if all schemes get the go-ahead.
Adrian Snook, of Stop the Spin, said the government had a responsibility to make policy which was regarded as sensible but this had to be accepted by the electorate.
He said: “We know what is best for the areas we live in. Anybody who looks at this scheme as a whole, will ask if it’s the right place for 54 turbines. We say no.
“People are starting to realise that living in a field of wind turbines could be a serious prospect.
“We don’t have to accept these things.”
Plans for Brixworth Wind Farm have been withdrawn but could be resubmitted. After the original plan was announced, a campaign group of local residents, Stop Brixworth Wind Farm, was founded.
Campaign member David Ward said: “People do have concerns about the countryside in which they live.
“We hopefully still live in a democracy and hopefully people’s votes in the local area still have some relevance.”
The government wants to cut carbon emissions by 34 per cent by 2020, which will involve about 10,000 wind turbines to generate power for 15 million homes.
17 July 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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