April 22, 2014
England

Anti-wind farms petition gathers 1,000 signatures

Berwick Advertiser | 22 April 2014 | www.berwick-advertiser.co.uk

An anti-wind farm petition signed by 1,000 local residents has been handed into Northumberland County Council.

The petition calls on Northumberland County Council to review its policy on granting planning permission for wind turbines across north Northumberland.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Berwick, has been a vocal opponent, both locally and nationally, of the extent of wind farm developments in Northumberland.

She said: “I have campaigned tirelessly against inappropriately sited onshore industrial wind factories which are damaging our unique landscape and our tourism offer.”

Ms. Trevelyan is also campaigning alongside other rural MPs to get the Government to reduce or scrap the subsidy on these wind farms.

She said: “If these wind turbines are viable in the long term to help the renewables revolution, then businesses should be willing to commit their own capital investment. If organisations are simply building these turbines because of the Government’s subsidy, it offers them a money making opportunity regardless of the real value of them to the energy debate. Therefore, the subsidy should definitely be scrapped.”

Joan Gray, from Middle Ord, Berwick, said: “I feel passionately about our beautiful Northumberland countryside and could weep when witnessing the sheer pillaging of such glorious landscapes. Wind farms are one of the most inefficient sources of alternative energy, but also the most lucrative for the companies who erect them, thanks largely to the incentives on offer.

“We, the inhabitants, really care and it is not only from an aesthetic point of view but this destruction has real economic implications for an area heavily dependent on the tourism industry.

“I’m optimistic that our petition will be acted upon, as I am encouraged to believe that people can come together to influence planning decisions and that we should have more power over what happens in our neighbourhood. I hope that that these factors will be taken into account in reviewing the Council’s policy on granting planning permission for wind turbines.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/04/22/anti-wind-farms-petition-gathers-1000-signatures/