I am writing in response to the comments made by local Farmer Andrew Bott who is the developer for the proposed wind farm at Benington.
I am shocked that he describes the protesters as “alarmist”. Their project threatens the Beane valley and residents of the surrounding villages and opens the floodgates to more developers and landowners to join the ‘Wind Rush’ to benefit and profit from the subsidies being paid by the government at the expense of the tax payer.
Andrew Bott claims that the village of Watton-at-Stone will only be “slightly chaotic for half an hour or so” for the 20 vehicles carrying the turbines to pass through.
Due to traffic regulations these lorries cannot travel in convoy because of the length of the trucks, therefore, staggered deliveries will have to be made over a period of time so this statement is ridiculous. The wide loads will require signs and street lamps to be temporarily removed to allow the vehicles to pass through the village.
The developer also fails to mention that a large number of extra vehicles will be needed for the delivery of concrete for the turbine foundations at the 1,500 metre service road.
According to the developers’ scoping report the road is 1,500 metres by five metres wide with a depth of between 300 to 500 mm which means for every metre of road four tonnes of hardcore will need to be delivered making a total of 6,000 tonnes and with an average of 20 tonnes per vehicle which equals 300 trucks!
Each turbine base requires 1,000 tonnes of concrete times three which equals 3,000 tonnes; ie 150 trucks
Hardstanding for the work area indicated in the scoping report is 1,000 tonnes. This equals 50 trucks
Total amount of vehicles required in addition to the turbines is 500.
Will the ‘muck away’ be kept onsite or will extra vehicles be needed?
Where will the hardcore come from? Will it be sourced by opening local current closed quarries?
During a recent meeting with the Botts no business plan details or results from the anemometer were disclosed.
If they are giving the public incorrect information on vehicle movements I think we are far from alarmists, as this is hardly a little disturbance!!
Keith Luetchford, Gregorys Farm, Whempstead
24 October 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/10/24/its-an-ill-wind-2/