The British Wind Energy Association spokesman Llywelyn Rhys should stick to the facts contained in his own organisation’s literature and that of HM Government as we do in SWATT (South Wales Alternative To Turbines).
The Government (DTI) set up a Noise Working Group in August 2006 to study the wind turbine noise problem, described as aerodynamic modulation (AM) in the DTI report. AM is thought to be a factor in the numerous studies concerning health being affected by wind turbine noise.
The concerns to wildlife habitat are well documented on numerous websites.
The 54% lower value for terraced houses within 1 mile of a wind farm is to be found on the BWEA’s own report, the same report states “….a general consensus amongst (estate) agents that there is a detrimental effect on value either due to close proximity of a wind farm or its visibility.”
Could he tell us which tourism surveys support wind farms?
The Welsh Assembly’s TAN 8 wind farm policy has potential problems unique to Wales, and it is absolute folly to expose perhaps 500,000 people (maybe the 20% of Wales’ population who are against wind turbines, Nimbys) in the South Wales mining valleys to the health and wealth risks of living close to the new generation of noisy giant wind turbines, without first studying the implications to noise/health, wildlife, property values and tourism.
Does the BWEA think it unreasonable that SWATT request that the Welsh Assembly call a moratorium on wind farm development until independent surveys are executed on these vital issues. Concerning the election, our campaign resulted in us getting the issue onto the election agenda. And the two anti-TAN 8 main parties were the ones who gained seats in the elections.
David Edwards
Chairman, SWATT, (South Wales Alternative To Turbines)
14 May 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/05/14/turbine-noise-risk/