March 3, 2011
England

Fears grow over turbine bird risk

Mike Lockley, Cannock Chase Post, www.chasepost.net 3 March 2011

Penkridge’s Bevan Craddock has rounded on the decision to place wind turbines in the grounds of an agricultural college.

And the noted ornithologist has criticised the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds for continuing to back turbines – despite evidence they are responsible for large-scale bird deaths.

A number of golden eagles in Scotland have been killed by the blades.

Cllr Craddock, the village town crier, spoke out as a committee considered proposals to extend temporary planning permission for a 60m anemometry mast, which measures wind speed, at Rodbaston College.

Permission was originally given for the mast to be in place for two years to measure the viability of turbines at Rodbaston. That permission now has to be renewed.

The go-ahead for two turbines – more than twice the size of the anemometry mast – has now been given. This prompted last week’s Penkridge Council planning committee to ask: “If they’ve got the turbines, why do they still want to keep the mast?”

Cllr Peter Jones said: “Aren’t they sure yet, after two or more years, what the wind direction is?”

Cllr Craddock told the meeting turbines simply aren’t producing the energy they were expected to. Denmark, a country which pioneered wind turbines, has pulled the plug on the scheme.

He said: “We’re wasting our time objecting (to the mast application), but I’m going to make sure people know what is happening and what is going to happen.

“It (the planning application) states the RSPB has identified no wildife sites of importance within two kilometres of the site (where the mast will be). There is no indication there is a heronry within a kilometre from this (at Gailey).

“A lot of people are already disillusioned with the RSPB because they don’t seem to be doing what their name suggests – protecting birds.”

And Cllr Craddock added an anemometry mast in Bagot’s Park, Abbots Bromley, had claimed the life of a barn owl.

Cllr John Eastwood told the meeting: “It’s a shame something like this is being done in the name of the old Staffordshire College of Agriculture.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/03/03/fears-grow-over-turbine-bird-risk/