January 19, 2013
Letters, Scotland

A landscape ruined by wind turbines

The Southern Reporter | 19 January 2013 | www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk

I object to the potential additional plethora of wind turbines in the Borders, as reported in TheSouthern and national press.

The Daily Telegraph’s Scottish edition of January 9 revealed that 500 turbines will have planning permission, or be built, in the Borders by the end of the year. This does not include applications in development or the scoping survey for an additional 200 turbines in the area, including developments in the Lammermuir Hills.

I believe in clean, renewable energy generation and wholeheartedly approve of offshore turbines, hydro, wave power, and solar and photovoltaic mediums.

Scottish Borders Council has represented the views of many in this region. We have been pretty generous in the hit we have already taken in this area and planning applications should be dealt with for the constituents of the region, served by our elected officials, and not subject to the tactics of Holyrood overturning decisions on virtually every application.

Enough is enough – already the landscape has been ruined for locals, tourism and future generations. It is almost impossible to take in any of our historically and aesthetically-important landscapes without viewing these unproven monstrosities.

Many ex-colleagues at my former university question the claims of efficiency, carbon dioxide generation reduction claims, cost, sustainability and the unlikely reparation of the sites once the finite lives of the structures cease. The so-called local community gains are not worth the price we are paying with our loss of terroir.

My family loves the Borders for its people, places, history, beauty and deep sense of place – please do not destroy what has given so much pleasure to so many generations for the want of a quick political fix.

I have written to Christine Grahame, our SNP MSP, and received a stock template response from her assistant, which did not address any of my points. Michael Moore, Borders MP and Secretary of State for Scotland, on the other hand, responded in detail and demonstrated some empathy with my letter of objection.

Leslie Mitchell

(emeritus professor of design)

Lauder

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/01/19/a-landscape-ruined-by-wind-turbines/