September 4, 2014
Scotland

Opponents say Fife Council’s wind turbine plans ‘just don’t add up’

Turbine claims 'inaccurate' | By Michael Alexander | The Courier | September 4, 2014 | www.thecourier.co.uk

Claims that five potential sites for Fife Council’s wind power project could help generate up to £11.75 million are “ill-informed and inaccurate”, say anti-windfarm campaigners.

Fife Council’s executive committee will next Tuesday be asked to progress plans for five wind turbines at council sites, including four in west Fife – a 77m (253ft) turbine at Pitreavie Playing Fields, a 45m (148ft) turbine at Halbeath Park and Ride and 24m (79ft) turbines at both Dalgety Bay Sports Centre and Inverkeithing High School. Another is planned for Cotlands Park in Kennoway.

The council says the scheme is one of the ways it is trying to reduce its energy costs, carbon emissions and generate income to protect frontline services.  Councillors will be asked to agree that these sites can be progressed before planning permission is applied for.

But West Fife campaign group Stop Proliferation Of Turbines (Spot) Fife claim “the numbers just don’t add up”.

Chairman Tom Bain said: “Fife Council have already lost the taxpayer significant amounts of money with their rushed and ill-thought-out attempts to appear green by recklessly putting wind turbines up in places they really aren’t designed to work in.

“Fife Council have erected seven turbines, five of which have been decommissioned without making a penny. The other two, at Carnegie Primary School and Dunfermline High School, have cost the council more than £100,000 so far yet have only saved £5,000 on fuel bills.

“The numbers just don’t add up, especially as the council have failed to factor in maintenance costs.”

He added: “A report commissioned by Fife Council confirmed no commercial developer would erect these turbines yet they seem determined on ploughing our money into this project, anyway.

“There are particular concerns about the turbine at Pitreavie Playing Fields, as it will be sited so close to the existing turbine at FMC, which has already generated several complaints from nearby residents about health impacts, noise and shadow-flicker and is currently subject to a Scottish Government study into the real impact of wind turbines versus the impacts developers say there will be when submitting applications.”

He added: “Fife Council should wait to see what the result of this study is before subjecting local residents to another huge turbine so close to their homes.”

Chris Ewing, chief operating officer with the council, said: “The executive committee will consider a report on the matter on September 9.”