December 23, 2011
Scotland

Call to halt the turbines

Fife Today, www.fifetoday.co.uk 23 December 2011

No more wind turbine proposals should be approved in Fife until a strategy is put in place to better examine applications.

That’s the call being made by the Fife Council Labour leader, Councillor Alex Rowley, who wants to see more community-led discussion and research into turbine application sites.

Cllr Rowley says he has become worried that applications were being dealt with on a “first come, first served basis” with little thought going into what best serves communities.

“In my own home village we are surrounded by proposals and applications to erect these large structures and I think we have to stop and think about whether or not we want to be surrounded by such large industrial structures or if there is a better way,” said the Labour leader.

“I am not against such industrial structures for the sake of it and I accept that we will have such structures to achieve a mixed approach to sourcing energy but we seem to be verging on the ad-hoc approach with little regard for people and communities.

“This is why we need the debate and one that is informed with information such as how many of these turbines are we likely to accept within Fife and then where is it best for them to be located to achieve minimal disruption to people, places, and communities.”

Cllr Rowley has written to the council’s developmental services and planning chiefs to ask for a meeting to discuss the issues he’s raised and his proposal for a temporary ban on all current and future applications until a strategic framework for wind farms has been put in place.

Last week the Mail reported on plans to install a giant 185-metre demonstration turbine in Methil.

He added: “I am old enough to remember the legacy of the mines on our local landscape and we are proud of the work of the councillors of that time in getting the areas re-instated into beautiful country side and I do not want a 21st century version of pit bings blighting the landscape.

“We, the people of Fife, must be in charge of what is acceptable and where is acceptable for these industrial structures to be sited.

“This must not be dictated by where the profiteers want to put them.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/12/23/call-to-halt-the-turbines/