January 22, 2008
England
England
A campaign against plans to build a 10-turbine wind farm north of Grantham was bolstered this week when Frances, the Dowager Duchess of Rutland, pledged her support.
The Dowager Duchess said the Vale of Belvoir, where she has lived for many years, would be “devastated” if the plans went ahead.
She joined campaigners from BLOT – Belvoir Locals Oppose Turbines – on Tuesday when they flew a blimp 410ft over the proposed wind farm site between Normanton and Long Bennington.
She said: “This will devastate the area unless one doesn’t mind the whole area being industrialised.”
The Dowager Duchess was involved in a major campaign in the early 1980s to prevent coal mining across a 90-mile area, including the Vale of Belvoir.
She said: “At that time we could see coal was not the thing of the future and within a few years most of the coal mines, perhaps sadly, were closed down.
“By that time our area would have been devastated and I believe the same will happen with the wind farms.
“Their value is not good enough for the devastation of the countryside. There may be an argument for wind farms off-shore, but that is another matter.”
By Jo Hall
22 January 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/01/22/high-profile-supporter-joins-anti-wind-farm-campaign/