Protesters set to fight Slaithwaite wind turbine plans
Credit: By Martin Shaw | The Huddersfield Daily Examiner | 18 Dec 2013 | www.examiner.co.uk/ ~~
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Translate: FROM English | TO English
Protesters will meet tonight to fight plans for three giant wind turbines near a beauty spot above Slaithwaite.
Retired landscape architect Victoria Berryman has organised a public meeting against a proposed wind farm off New Hey Road, Scammonden, near Cupwith Reservoir and the former Nont Sarah’s pub.
The Valley Wind co-operative has submitted £10 million plans for three 99.5 metre high turbines.
Mrs Berryman, who lives at Merrydale, near Slaithwaite, said the scale of the turbines were out of all proportion.
They were THREE times the height of the Jubilee Tower on top of Castle Hill.
Mrs Berryman said: “The scale of these turbines is inhuman,” she said.
“I find that most people have only a hazy idea of the height of objects.
“The usual height of residential street lights is 6.5m and the Jubilee Tower is 32.4m high.
“People need to know the scale of what is planned.”
Mrs Berryman, who rents out a holiday cottage next to her home, said the timing of the submission of the planning application left people little time to put their views forward.
Kirklees Council’s deadline for comments is January 3.
She said: “We were astonished that the planning application has gone in now when everyone is busy in the run-up to Christmas,” she said.
Mrs Berryman, a previous supporter of the Valley Wind project, added: “We knew this was looming on the horizon but we never thought it would really get off the ground.
“The amount of money to be raised – around £10 million – is enormous.”
Mrs Berryman said campaigners had fought to save the picturesque Cupwith Reservoir when there were plans to drain it.
She described plans for the huge turbines at the site as “bizarre”.
She added: “I personally won’t see it – though I will probably hear it – but it will be a blot on the landscape.”
Mrs Berryman said the value of wind power was “incredibly dubious” in terms of ecological gain because of the amount of concrete needed for the base.
“In my view these turbines are not helping save the world, they are just spoiling the environment,” she said.
Steve Slator, of Marsden, is one of the nine directors of the Valley Wind Co-operative.
He said previously: “This is an opportunity for us as a community to own electricity generation capacity and take some power away from the Big Six energy companies.
“The project will bring in a regular annual income to support community projects in the Colne Valley and offers a real local investment opportunity.”
The meeting will be held tonight at the Rose and Crown at Cop Hill at 6.30pm.
Campaigners fought plans to save the Cupwith Reservoir from being drained and a planning application submitted in February last year was refused.
A second application to drain the reservoir submitted to Kirklees Council earlier this year was given conditional approval subject to some water being retained in the reservoir.
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