October 23, 2007
England, Letters

Unwilling saviours of the environment

I view with dismay how your counties of the South West are being ravaged by the desire of others for you to solve the world’s climate change problems.I am not surprised that the wind farm development at Fullabrook Down in North Devon was passed. Cornwall has been an easy target for developers and now, with government blessing, the race is on to ruin Devon.

The other regions’ counties do not seem to be having the same problem saving the world, nor do the rich counties of Berkshire, Hampshire and Wiltshire – but who would wish this sort of thing on them anyway.

By applying for a wind farm over 50 MW the developers bypassed the local planning committee and it was looked at by a Government inspector. The outcome of this inquiry should send a clear message to the people of the South West that, no matter where you live, you and your way of life are not safe from this sort of development.

One problem for our ministers, planners and inspectors is that unless they take the time to do independent research, the technical data they are presented with will have been supplied either directly by the British Wind Energy Association or an agency which gets it from the same source. While the public begins to wise up to wind power the Government still sees what it wants to.

So for all wind farm applications our planners and councillors are bombarded with misleading information from wind farm companies and renewable energy agencies telling them how the South West must meet unattainable CO2 targets and then implying that it must be done because it is EU law.

None of this seems to matter though, as Matthew Spencer, of Regen South West, says the Fullabrook development will make Devon an even greener county ahead of Cornwall.

No matter how excited he is, I don’t think the people of the South West want to be in some competition to see who can upset the most people and ruin the maximum area of our countryside with wind farms just to give him brownie points and line the pockets of the turbine people, some of whom sit on his board.

G Pickering

Sheffield

Western Morning News

23 October 2007


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/10/23/unwilling-saviours-of-the-environment/