Noise and impact
Tewkesbury Admag, www.tewkesburyadmag.co.uk 7 October 2010
In last weeks’ Evesham Journal Mr Lynn Davies made claims about wind power relating to the current proposal by Scottishpower Renewables ( SPR) to erect five 410ft turbines in The Lenches, criticising the content of the overwhelming number of letters of objection to the proposal on the Wychavon planning website.
Mr Davies suggests that VVASP have not visited a windfarm when he knows full well that we have visited many and the details are published on our website. During these visits we have spoken to people who live close to turbines and their stories form the basis of our serious concerns about the SPR proposal.
Mr Davies claims that turbines are not noisy but a two-hour visit to a windfarm cannot possibly inform one of the incessant intrusions of industrial wind turbines operating 24 hours a day for 25 years!
Only real life experience can tell the true story, like Ron Williams of Cumbria who claims to lose one night’s sleep in three, and John Scott from Coldham, a life-long bird watcher who despairs at the loss of bird life around his home, 1000m from a turbine.
These realities of life living close to a turbine have been confirmed by two independent reports commissioned by Wychavon on noise and landscape and visual impact. Both reports are critical of the scheme.
The large majority of local residents also object to the scheme with nearly 700 letters of objection whilst less than 50 people support the plan. Even Scottishpower admit 69 per cent of the local communities do not think that The Lenches is a suitable location for a windfarm.
VVASP does join Mr Davies in applauding the increase in the amount of electricity generated by renewable sources in the UK to 6.5 per cent. However, he fails to point out that this was a result of the opening of the Thanet offshore windfarm with 100 turbines 377ft high (surprisingly smaller than those proposed for The Lenches) and not close to people’s homes!
Wind farms should be built offshore but if they have to be located onshore they should not be constructed within 2km of homes and certainly not in The Lenches where there are more than 100 houses within 1km of the proposed turbines. In July, a Government planning inspector refused an appeal for a windfarm because just one house was 750m away. Furthermore, if noise was not a problem, why would Lord Reay of Hutton be bringing a Private Members’ Bill through Parliament to provide the very same “buffer zone” of 2km between houses and turbines?
Rod Stroud, via e-mail.
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2010/10/08/noise-and-impact/