July 18, 2008
England

Villagers to fight turbine plan

Villagers have vowed to battle against proposals to build three giant wind turbines less than half a mile from their homes.

There are plans to build three 126m turbines on land at Barsham, south of the B1062 Beccles to Bungay Road, and another three at nearby Ringsfield.

But villagers in Barsham say the massive 3MW turbines will ruin their views across the Waveney Valley and knock thousands of pounds off the value of their homes.

Benji Howell, who recently moved to Barsham with his wife Jo, said: “The turbines are going to totally dominate our landscape and they’ll have a massive impact on our view.

“If they had been there we wouldn’t have bought this house a year ago. It will also knock money off the value of our house, and for the developers to say that it won’t is frankly offensive. We’ll fight this to the end.”

Julia Sanders and Neil Kitchen, who run a horse-and-carriage business from their property on Clarke’s Lane, are worried about the effect that the noise from the turbines will have on their horses.

Mr Kitchen said: “It took us a year of searching to find this house so we could keep our horses and run our business from here, so we would have to change our whole life if we’re forced to move.”

Miss Sanders said: “Our property is for equestrian use but if you can’t keep horses here then that would significantly affect its value. We’re stuck and we’ll lose out whether we stay or go.”

The energy generated by the turbines, which will cost a total of £6m to build, will be part of a scheme through which local communities get £1,000 for every megawatt – about £9,000 a year – to spend on local projects.

Retired doctor Tony Bubb, who lives on Clarke’s Lane, said: “They’ll have a massive visual impact. The tallest building in Barsham is the church, and these will be about seven times taller than that – they’re massive industrial units.”

The turbines are the idea of Beccles mother-of-two Hannah Blowers and would be put up by Stamford Renewables.

Mike Stamford, chief executive of Stamford Renewables, said: “As well as cash benefits for the community, the turbines also provide green power, using less fossil fuel.

“I am willing to go to each site where people have concerns and take a photo-montage and superimpose the turbines to give a picture of what they will look like from any part of their property. The turbines in Swaffham and Lowestoft live closely, safely and without disruption to people’s lives,” he said.

Hayley Mace

Eastern Daily Press

18 July 2008


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/07/18/villagers-to-fight-turbine-plan/