April 10, 2007
U.K.
U.K.
Candidates lining up for a crack at the Clwyd West Assembly seat are being urged to blow political hot air in the direction of a controversial renewable energy issue.
Llanrhaeadr yng Nghinmeirch county councillor Paul Marfleet is urging current Clwyd West AM Alun Pugh and prospective candidates to consider the concerns of Nantglyn residents over proposals for more wind turbines to be situated near the village.
Residents are concerned over plans for 29 new wind turbines around the village by two companies, Windpower Wales and Tegni Cymru Cyf.
Nantglyn, an area designated for wind power under the renewable energy document TAN8, is already home to Tir Mostyn which houses 25 turbines.
Managing director of Tegni Cymru Cyf Huw Smallwood has claimed some villagers are in favour of the plans if they are given indivdual help regarding going green around the home.
“This concern is based on the experience of a significant number of local residents that are already experiencing noise pollution from the Tir Mostyn development. Their view is that turbines of these dimensions so close to their community are likely to exacerbate and magnify the already unacceptable noise pollution,” Cllr Marfleet said.
The county councillor claimed that the majority of residents will be opposing the proposals.
“The majority of these objectors are not people who are opposed to onshore wind power. They are people who have a concern for the environment, who wish to recycle their waste, who have a concern for the rural economy and who support renewable energy in principle. They just don’t understand why the siting of turbines so close to their village should, for the next twenty five years, impact on the quality of their daily life.”
He added: “It is felt that the views of the sitting locally
elected representative, together with those of his political opponents is of significance and interest.
“After all, if either or both of these applications finish up as the subject of an appeal or are heard at a public inquiry, ruled on by the Planning Inspectorate of Wales, it would be useful before the election to know the views of our elected representative.”
The British Wind Energy Association claims that a report by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and Oxford Brookers University has blown away the ‘myth’ about the impact of wind power on property prices.
The group believed the research found no clear relationship between the proximity of wind farms and property prices.
“This new report reaffirms that there is no empirical evidence to demonstrate a direct link between operating wind farms and house prices,” said BWEA director of programme strategy Chris Tomlison.
5 April 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/04/10/wind-farm-plan-set-for-election-issue/