LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME


[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]

Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

Get weekly updates
RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Stripe

Donate via Paypal

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

News Watch Home

Village ready to fight new turbine plan 

Villagers fighting plans to build three 90m wind turbines in the South Hams are to appoint independent experts to assess the impact such a scheme could have.Cornwall Light and Power (CLP) plans to resurrect an application withdrawn by Npower in January last year.

It involved building the turbines – which would measure just 10m less than Nelson’s Column – on land at Goveton, near Kingsbridge in South Devon.

CLP plans to carry out extra studies, which the old proposal lacked, before its application is formally submitted to South Hams District Council.

But people living near the site, who fought the last proposal, have raised fears about noise, effects on health, the visual impact and the possible loss of tourism.

Gary Watson, spokesman for the Buckland-tout-Saints residents’ association, said: “Our group is not opposed to renewable energy, but it needs to be in the correct environment, which doesn’t affect people’s lives or the landscape we have enjoyed for so long.

“These things are considered far too little when power companies are looking at possible sites.”

Mr Watson said the group planned to employ its own landscape and planning consultants, to carry out assessments.

But Tristan Mackie, of CLP, said the wind speeds at Goveton were good, making it a desirable site. He said the turbines would produce enough energy to provide power for 2,000 homes.

He said Npower withdrew because the company was told its application lacked detail, not because of community opposition. He added that CLP was carrying out additional noise impact assessments and investigating the effects of the scheme on the landscape.

He said every option had to be looked at in the urgent race to combat climate change.

Jeremy Smith, another member of the residents’ group, said the plan was “horrendous”.

He said: “I think the impact on businesses and the number of visitors coming to the area is going to be tremendous. The effects on tourism seem to be quite substantial.

“We are also very concerned about the health side of things. There’s a growing body of evidence that the high-frequency sound these turbines produce is really quite detrimental to health.”

But Mr Mackie said there was “no evidence” of any impact on health.

He said: “There can’t be any health issues, otherwise the Government’s scientists wouldn’t allow turbines to continue doing what they do.”

He said the Goveton scheme would contribute to Devon’s target for producing 105MW of energy through onshore wind farms by 2010. Currently, only 3MW are produced from inland turbines at Bradworthy, North Devon.

Mr Mackie said: “The 4MW this scheme would produce may not sound like much, but it would certainly be a start towards Devon reaching its target.”

By Louise Vennells

11 December 2006

westernmorningnews.co.uk

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Contributions
   Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)
Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI M TG TS G Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook Wind Watch on Linked In

Wind Watch on Mastodon Wind Watch on Truth Social

Wind Watch on Gab Wind Watch on Bluesky