August 16, 2007
Wales

Wind farm 'no eyesore'

The firm behind a Neath wind farm proposal has denied it will be an eyesore.

Residents living near the proposed site, in Maesgwyn, claim the 15 turbines – some as high as 115 metres – could be a blight on their lives.

Onllwyn resident Geoff Francis, aged 61, said he wanted more information before he would be persuaded by the plans.

He said: “If it’s far away enough from people’s houses, I can’t see there being a problem.

“I’d like to know more about the plans, though, before I make up my mind.”

But developer Pennant Walters insists the plans will not have a negative impact on the area if they are given planning approval.

A spokesman for the company said: “Only a very small proportion of the people living within a 30km radius will have any views of the wind farm.”

The plans for the scheme have been on show in the Neath area this week, and Pennant Walters’s staff have been handing out leaflets and explaining the plans to residents.

The company says the scheme would supply clean, green electricity to 22,000 homes and help combat climate change.

The spokesman said anyone living more than one kilometre from the site would not hear the noise from the wind farm.

He said: “The turbines used to be made from aluminium, but are now made from carbon fibre.

“This makes them more efficient and quieter.

“The development, in terms of operational noise, is considered to be acceptable.”

But Onllwyn community councillor Danny Dymond said he was still not convinced by the plans.

He said: “There is not enough information about the day-to-day effects the scheme might have on people.

“I know there are also concerns about the effectiveness of wind power. In some cases the turbines only produce electricity 60 or 70 per cent of the time.”

The plans will be on show in Glynneath Town Hall tomorrow from noon to 7pm.

By Ben Wright

Evening Post

16 August 2007


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/08/16/wind-farm-no-eyesore/