November 3, 2011
England

Turbine planners ‘will use public feedback’

Ruth Norris, www.cambridge-news.co.uk 3 November 2011

Campaigners against the proposed Litlington wind farm say villagers’ lives will be “ruined” by the turbines.

They were protesting outside a public exhibition held by Ralph Parker, the owner of the potential site at Highfield Farm.

He organised the exhibition with energy company Engena on Monday to demonstrate to residents the benefits of the five 100-metre high wind turbines, and what impact they would have on the area.

Villagers turned out en masse to look at the posters in the village hall in Litlington, which stated that the farm could generate enough electricity to power 4,980 homes in South Cambridgeshire.

Mr Parker said: “The feedback I have got so far today has ranged from good, to bad to ugly.

“The wind farm will be a positive contribution to the energy needs at a local level – that’s my motivation behind doing this. We try to farm here in a green way, and this is another thing that we can add to that.”

Many residents, however, remain unconvinced by the idea.

A group set up a display in the back of one of their cars outside the hall listing the potential risks and negatives that could come from the turbines.

One of their posters stated: “It’s no good saying in three year’s time, I didn’t realise they would be so big, I didn’t realise my life would be ruined.”

Clive Porter, anti-wind farm campaigner and Melbourn resident, is forming a ‘Stop Litlington Wind Farm’ group.

He said: “It will be a distraction to drivers on the A505, which is a problem road already. They are noisy, and they are simply huge and ugly.

“All the houses in the village are going to be devalued. We are going to be working on getting together an action group to stop this getting planning permission.”

The wind turbines are estimated to make a noise that could be as loud as 43dB, but Mr Parker and Engena say this will not be a significant sound over the normal background noise in the area.

Mr Parker added: “We hope to have a planning application submitted in the next two months, and we will be taking all of the feedback given here today into account in that application.”

There will be a petition against the wind farm available in the Litlington post office and in the village pub.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/11/03/turbine-planners-will-use-public-feedback/