October 16, 2013
England

Aston Lodge residents attend protest meeting against Stone windfarms

By Emma Davies | The Sentinel | October 16, 2013 | www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk

Dozens of residents attended a public meeting in protest at plans to install two wind turbines near their homes.

Families living on the Aston Lodge Park estate, in Stone, fear their peaceful countryside idyll will be ruined if the plans go ahead.

They raised concerns over potential noise from the turbines, the blight on the landscape and the effect on wildlife from the Pingle Lane proposal.

This week’s meeting was held at Little Stoke Cricket Club to discuss how the community should fight the planning application.

It comes as a petition is being circulated around the area.

Vaughan Betts, aged 61, of Aston Chase, who will be living within 600 metres of the planned turbines, said: “I just don’t understand why this particular location has been chosen. It’s halfway up a hill and will be horrendously noisy.

“There are two fundamental issues. First the visual impact on the ambiance of the area and secondly the health risks associated with wind turbines, particularly the noise change and air pressure. If they were placed further up the hill away from the estate then we wouldn’t have an issue.”

Leicestershire-based Hallmark Power has lodged plans with Stafford Borough Council to install two 147ft (45-metre) high turbines at Stone Park Farm. The fields are currently used to grow cereals.

Neil Hancock, who also lives in Aston Chase, said: “I don’t think turbines should be built within one kilometre of people’s homes. A lot of people come to live here to escape the noise of the city.”

The 52-year-old added: “Scientists have reported that living near to turbines can cause nausea, sleep deprivation, depression and tinnitus.”

County Councillor Phillip Jones, who represents Stone, said: “In my opinion the application is fundamentally flawed and we will be campaigning to stop this going ahead. We need a policy that says wind turbines cannot be installed within the vicinity of homes. There are also reports that house prices fall in areas where wind turbines are installed.

“We have set up a petition to make residents aware of the plans and will meet in a few weeks to discuss the campaign.”

The petition can be signed at Fairway Service Station, off Lichfield Road, and at Little Stoke Cricket Club, off Uttoxeter Road.

Councillors are expected to rule on the application within weeks.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/10/16/aston-lodge-residents-attend-protest-meeting-against-stone-windfarms/