In the editorial comment of July 10, it was suggested that the residents of Micklefield should welcome plans to build a wind farm on their doorstep.
This will not be the case. The plans by Banks Developments to erect between five and eight wind turbines between Micklefield and Hook Moor is hugely unpopular.
The suggested site is on green belt land, close to a Special Landscape Area and, to the north end of the site, extremely close to the very busy A1/M1 intersection, a difficult road to negotiate without the added distraction of turbines.
These turbines are 406ft (125m) high from base to tip of blade and will be visible for miles around. They will also be visible from residents’ back doors as the plans show them to be just 500m away from the nearest properties.
People of Garforth and surrounding villages need to be aware that by the very height of the turbines, their visual amenity will also be affected.
Noise too is likely to be a problem as the plan is to put them so close to homes. The developers say that they are not noisy, yet evidence from people in parts of the country who already have them close by say otherwise.
Upheaval
We have had sufficent upheaval in our village in recent years; we already have a landfill site in our boundary – which incidentally already produces 2MW and shortly to increase to 3MW – renewable energy from methane, and we had years of disruption during the upgrade of the A1 to motorway. (However, the constructors of this road have at least banked it and screened it to reduce the noise and sight of traffic.)
We do not intend to become a dumping ground for things such as this which other areas of Leeds aren’t likely to want either, and urge residents of Micklefield and surrounding areas to strongly object in the first instance to the planning application for a wind test mast by 13 August.
Objections should be sent to the Chief Planning Officer, The Leonardo Building, 2 Rossington Street, Leeds LS2 8HD.
P WALKER, Micklefield
9 August 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/08/10/we-dont-want-this-wind-farm/