December 6, 2011
England

Swanland residents fear wind turbines will affect house prices

Hull Daily Mail, www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk 6 December 2011

Dozens of villagers have voiced their concerns about plans for two wind turbines in an East Riding village.

It follows proposals for two 25m structures at Westfield Farm in Swanland.

The application has been put in by the McCallum family, who want to offset the retail cost of electricity used by the farm and their equestrian business.

More than 100 residents packed into a parish council meeting last night to share their worries about the proposal.

Issues discussed at Swanland Village Hall included fears the turbines would have negative impact on the landscape, cause noise pollution and devalue properties in the area.

Philip Hamer spoke about the noise made by wind turbines.

He said: “We suffer from road noise already and I think the planning authority should consider whether it is appropriate to have wind turbines close to large settlements.

“If the noise does annoy people, it will annoy a lot of people and now is the time to protest, not after the turbines go up.”

Fellow resident Shawn Chapman said he was worried the value of his property would decrease if plans got the go ahead.

He said: “We have been reading on the internet that wind turbines can damage the value of a property by up to 30 per cent.”

A female villager, who did not wish to be named, said she had read the shadow flicker created by wind turbines could have a negative impact on health.

She said: “I have read that the noise can be detrimental to autistic children and that the shadow flicker can set off epilepsy.”

Another resident said: “My main issue is noise. Once the turbines are up, you will not be able to do anything to stop it.”

The parish council meeting was chaired by Geoff Chapman and lasted just under one hour.

Several letters of objection to the plans have already been received by East Riding council.

The authority’s planning committee will make the final decision.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/12/06/swanland-residents-fear-wind-turbines-will-affect-house-prices/