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The Bradworthy Wind Turbines
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Local Action - Renewable Energy - Wind Power
Members & supporters of the North Devon Green Party often involve themselves deeply with local issues, putting personal time and energy into making the green voice heard, when all other voices muddy into brown.
This area documents some of those campaigns
“New Row Rages on Wind-power”
Letter to the North Devon Gazette from Ian Godfrey, 22nd Nov 2006
Dear Sir,
This is not a new row – it’s the same old “row” and the only reason it rages is because papers like yours, for some unknown reason, decide to publish poorly researched items with misleading headlines like this, creating the illusion of general support and sympathy for a small group of vociferous, small-minded people, who give the word “environmentalism” a bad name.
For Ms Bell to repeatedly label herself an environmental campaigner is beginning to pall just a tad – generally she is only campaigning for herself. It is ironic to see her standing in the photo on your front page next to her favourite Councillor, Rodney Cann, the person she proudly announced she had voted for at the last County Council elections – he is the man who has vehemently opposed the Fullabrook wind-turbine scheme at County and District level, in the true Green-wash spirit of his Westminster mentor. I have no doubt he will absolutely adore working with Ms Bell and her fellow “environmentalists” to oppose the Batsworthy Cross application as well.
Why oh why this preoccupation with bird deaths from the turbines? These arguments have been completely discredited by different factual surveys and the RSPB is satisfied with the data. The number of bird deaths from turbine blades is absolutely miniscule compared to those from domestic cats, glazed windows and the grim reaper, the motor-car, which together with aircraft, hunters, and general habitat degradation, kill tens of millions of birds in the UK annually. We are all to blame for these mostly inadvertent deaths, the “protesters” as well. The lack of perspective is preposterous and the delays caused by the posturing of the opponents are actually irresponsible and potentially extremely damaging.
Your reporter writes, without speech marks, so I’ll put them in for you, that the “controversial” Batsworthy Cross scheme met with “fierce criticism” when it was first announced. True – from the Usual Suspects, a well-orchestrated cacophony from a small, well-heeled minority. Members of the North Devon Green Party, so regularly vilified by Ms Bell and her posse, actually made the effort to find out what the locals thought of the scheme and found that the vast majority of those questioned on the door-step had no problems with it at all. This finding is mirrored by the responses to Npower’s own opt-in household post-card survey and by all polls on public opinion on this issue, nationally and regionally. It’s just that the supporters don’t shout about it.
I recommend that those who are genuinely concerned about our local landscape and the delicate eco-balance, turn their attention to the potential ravages of Climate Change and the effect that this will have on the bird-life of our own estuary – and try and do something constructive about it instead of attacking those of us who, in fighting for renewable energy solutions, really are thinking globally and acting locally. In the meantime, I urge those readers who are confused and perhaps bemused by this continuing dialogue of the deaf, to instead turn to the environmental impact survey on npower’s Batsworthy Cross web-site:
www.npower-renewables.com/batsworthycross. Regardless of perceived special pleading and bias, it is nonetheless extremely informative, helpful and responsible. Rest assured, there will be no damage to Golden Eagles and little if no interference to migrating birds and nocturnal bat flight-paths.Yours sincerely
Ian GodfreyNorth Devon Green Party
A letter to the North Devon Journal from Fiona Cresswell, 23rd February 2006
When Ms Faust writes "If npower was really listening it would go away," (Journal, February 9) she appears to believe that herself, the Harveys and their Two Moors Campaign are the most important voices in North Devon. Maybe npower believe that the voices of other North Devonians are equally important and they are continuing with their plans because their consultation responses have shown a clear majority in favour of a wind farm at Batsworthy.
Ms Faust seems to be confused by the concept of consultation. She expects Simon and Patrick of npower to be able to give her all the finalised details of the project, when the whole point of the consultation is to help npower decide how their general plans for the wind farm can be shaped into specific plans through the involvement of the community and other stakeholders.
Issues such as the connection to the national grid are precisely those that the public can have their say on before npower draw up their final plans.
Thank goodness we don't all drive those "heavy duty vehicles" which Ms Faust claims are capable of emitting over 1,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year if driven non-stop.
I certainly agree that long-distance transportation of food and goods is a very bad idea - both for the climate and the local economy - and it would be better all round if we mainly bought local produce.
Thankfully, the total carbon dioxide emissions from transport in North Devon, when averaged out over the total number of residents only comes to 2.5 tonnes per person per year, according to government figures.
The proposed wind farm at Batsworthy is estimated to save 33,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, equivalent to the transport emissions of well over 10, 000 local residents.
A letter to the North Devon Journal from Jon Hooper, 23rd February 2006
I applaud Bob Graham's firm grasp of the concept of "load factor" in his letter on the February 9. It's great to see the wind power debate has moved beyond irrelevant terms such as "efficiency". Maybe Mr Graham would like to research "capacity credit" next, and he'll soon realise that until such time as our installed wind power capacity in the UK has grown to 10 or 20 times its current size, the low loadfactor of wind - and similarly that of tidal and wave power - will continue to be an insignificant issue.
If Mr Graham read a little more of what he dismisses as evil propaganda from local climate change campaigners, he'd realise that no-one is suggesting wind power could meet all our energy needs, but that it's the most viable first step towards a range of renewable technologies which, alongside energy efficiency measures, are urgently needed to tackle the dual threats of climate change and peak oil.
I think it's time for anti-wind groups to realise that they've lost their credibility in the eyes of the general public, because their various technical arguments against wind power just don't stand up under scrutiny.
I've talked with hundreds of local residents and I'm pleased to say that most people are remarkably well informed about renewable energy and climate change, and appreciate the importance of wind power in North Devon as an immediate way of tackling greenhouse gas emissions.
As leading environmentalist Jonathan Porritt confirms, "wind's variability has been shown to result in a 1% carbon penalty, meaning that 99% of the output from wind farms reduces emissions."
A letter to the North Devon Gazette from Jon Hooper, 22nd February 2006
SIR - I would like to reassure Mr Brinicombe, who wrote on February 8 with several queries regarding wind power, that the RSPB have recently conducted research into the impact of wind farms on birds and are now strong supporters both of wind farms positioned in locations that do not adversely affect bird populations, and other measures to address climate change.
The RSPB do object to badly sited wind farms, but I understand they have no objections to either of the current projects at Fullabrook and Batsworthy Cross. Potential impacts on bats, birds, and other wildlife are always thoroughly explored in the developers' Environmental Impact Assessments, which are available to the general public.
I agree it is important that ecological balance and biodiversity is not adversely affected by our societies' efforts to secure sufficient power, and further research will indeed help. However, our impact on Britain's unique wildlife is more due to urbanisation and the tarmacisation of our landscapes, to the economic pressure supermarkets put on farmers which results in an increasingly sterile chemical countryside, and to the burning of fossil fuels changing our climate more abruptly than many species can adapt.
Urbanisation and changing land use have reduced some animal and plant populations to small clusters, and now climate change is threatening these locations by impacting our seasons and the geographical range of different species. While bat and bird populations need careful study, wind turbines are not the most pressing threats on their survival.
Mr Brinicombe asked several other common questions regarding wind power, the answers to which are readily available from many sources. A wind turbine will "pay back" the energy used to build and maintain it within three to ten months, and then continue to produce truly carbon-free electricity for more than 20 years. Further, according to a recent study by the University of Oxford, wind power delivers around two and a half times as much electricity during periods of high electricity demand as during low demand periods.
COMPANIES WILL HOLD US TO RANSOM
A letter to the North Devon Journal from Jackie Morningmist, 9th February 2006
There was a nuclear reactor meltdown some years ago in Russia which was devastating even then, which is still affecting us today. Pylons and overhead hissing electricity which you can hear!
Is this the power we want? And not forgetting the big companies and countries, which we buy our energy from, no doubt will soon hold us to ransom.
Climate change is already affecting the environment and wildlife. Talk about noise, what about traffic, air, light. Need I go on?
Wind farms are the future. Come on all you organisations, rural groups, wildlife groups and other groups it concerns.
Don't you think it's time to stop all the moaning, griping and propaganda. It's time to do something now, before it's too late and it will be too late!
NIMBYS: LOOK BEYOND THE VIEW FROM YOUR WINDOW
A letter to the North Devon Journal from Fiona Cresswell, 29th December 2005
Along with many of your readers, I am sick already of hearing from the latest recruit to the Anti-Wind Farm NIMBY brigade. The idea being spouted by the so-called Two Moors campaign that the view from their windows is somehow more important than the state of the planet beggars belief. Personally, I find their lack of vision just Too Morbid.
I thought I'd heard everything until I was 'reliably informed' at a public meeting that wind turbine blades would break off, soar through the air and crash into the Link Road. There was a fanatical glint in the eyes of these people as they spoke of wind turbines causing horrible diseases and poisoning water supplies.
The astonishing level of self-delusion displayed by the Too Morbid protesters would almost be tragically funny.
Almost - because this time the joke is on us. From an increasing frequency of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the Asian tsunami to the melting of the polar ice caps, climate change is happening now.
One thing to be glad about, is that however loudly they shout, the NIMBYS are, and will always be, a tiny minority.
Because we do urgently need wind farms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions it is time for those opposed to the Batsworthy Cross Wind Farm proposal to get real, wake up, and witness the burning rage of a dying planet. It is blatantly suicidal to attempt to sabotage any efforts to curb Global Warming. At the end of the day, this is the only home we've got.
A letter to the North Devon Journal from Cllr Rosemary Brian, 8th Dec 2005
I ATTENDED the planning meeting of North Devon District Council on Thursday, November 24, where they discussed the application to build a wind farm at Fullabrook Down.
It was certainly an eye-opener on how the council goes about its business. The proposed wind farm with 22 turbines is probably the most complex and technical application ever to come before North Devon District Council. The planning manager referred to it as being of "major significance".
A good opportunity you would think to invite the applicants to explain their proposals and answer all those niggling questions, such as its operational reliability, noise nuisance, shadow flicker, etc which have been voiced since the proposals were launched eighteen months ago. Not a bit.
The first hour of the meeting was given over to the planning manager making his case for rejecting the application.
Although his role is to present the benefits of the scheme alongside the dis-benefits, three quarters of his presentation was given to a recitation of the disadvantages of the proposals.
Next the public were given their say, each having three minutes to make their points.
Finally, the applicants, Devon Wind power, were given their opportunity to reply to the debate in three minutes. As the chairman Cllr Payne later explained; three minutes is all that applicants are ever allowed to speak to their applications.
That may be sufficient to speak to a proposal to build a loft room over a garage, but a 22-turbine windfarm? As John McEnroe would say "You cannot be serious".
Devon Wind Power should have had the same amount of time as the planning manager to make their case.
It was clear that North Devon Council had no desire to, and no intention of, giving Devon Wind Power a fair hearing. The debate was neither fair, nor just. I felt ashamed for what I witnessed.
A letter to the North Devon Journal from Anna Wotton, 8th Dec 2005
IF the first NDDC councillor to speak on the proposed windfarm at Fullabrook Down claimed to have come into the room with an 'open mind' but then read out his pre-written speech and several councillors referred to those who had spoken out in favour of the wind farm as 'objectors' before the negative vote had even been cast - need one say any more?
The procedure is, to my mind, flawed and this meeting definitely biased, with the planning officer speaking for nearly a whole hour on the arguments against and 5 minutes on the environmental advantages.
The developer also only had a three minute slot, as did other parties speaking out pro or contra the recommendation. It is time for our councillors to listen to the wider public and show the courage and integrity that only one independent councillor voiced at the meeting. Unfortunately in North Devon a combination of 'Yellow' and 'Blue' does not produce a 'Green' effect!
One particular parish councillor had certainly not done her research on wind turbines as her claims were not just misguided but totally erroneous prompting a frantic retort from a couple of those who have researched the facts.
Several councillors iterated token posturings on global warming and the need for action, but were not willing to accept responsibility for actually undertaking any measures here in Devon now.
I cited Germany as an example of where we should be. We are already benefiting from the experience gained in countries such as Germany. It is a known fact that any technology used more extensively becomes more efficient and economically viable.
Reunification has cost the German economy big time, but at least it means that the former East sector is 'cleaning up its act'.
Instead of accusing, as one lady at the planning meeting in Barnstaple did on Thursday, and complaining about the pollution from the states in Eastern Europe we should be putting our own 'affluent' house in order and helping those states to become 'greener'! The UK track record on the environment during our European presidency is frankly abysmal.
A letter to the North Devon Journal from Cllr Ricky Knight, 1st Dec 2005
"Fullabrook decision – fiddling while Rome burns"
Dear Sir / Madam,
The decision by the ND DC planning committee, by massive majority, to refuse the application for the Fullabrook Wind Farm scheme, is lamentable, short-sighted, calculated and a complete abrogation of civic responsibility. The massed ranks of Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors, the latter group mirroring their Westminster colleagues with their lack of spine in opposition, have let the people of North Devon down disastrously and they ought to be ashamed of their lack of judgement and their lack of leadership with regard the urgent necessity to implement renewable sources of energy generation in North Devon.
The NDDC Planning Officer took over an hour to recap on his recommendation to refuse the application, one of the main threads being that since wind farm projects had been refused before in North Devon, they shall be refused again, regardless of the extent to which planning law and circumstances have changed. The Planning Officer opposed and the councillors fell into line behind him.
Next came a dozen spirited speeches of support for the Wind Farm from local businesspeople, local environmentalists and concerned citizens, each one condensed into three minutes. They talked of the urgency of tackling the dual threats of Climate Change and Peak Oil, of the additional benefits of a wind farm to business and tourism and of how the perceived negative impact of the wind farm had been exaggerated out of all proportion.
The theme repeatedly presented by a dozen opponents was that of Beauty and Tranquillity, with complete disregard to the potential effects on the former from Climate Change and the fact that the latter was an idyll experienced by only a tiny percentage of our populace, even in the countryside.
Astonishingly, Devon Wind Power were only given five minutes to respond to over an hour’s worth of negative input from the Planning Officer. Such a meagre allocation was anyway a complete waste of time, as any representation that did not fit in with the councillors’ point of view was simply ignored. Their minds were made up already, as illustrated by the fact that the Proposer and Seconder of the motion to refuse, had their reasons already typed out. The Proposer, Cllr Rodney Cann, maintained ironically that he had come to this meeting with an open mind, despite the fact that several weeks earlier, he had already voted against the scheme at County level.
Councillor after councillor made a cursory reference to Climate Change before trotting out the mantra, essentially the “Wrong Scheme in the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time” routine. The councillors’ task was essentially to weigh any negative impact of the wind farm against the benefits: a 66MW contribution to Devon’s target of 151MW of onshore renewable energy by 2010, which they were told should be given significant weight. Georgeham and Mortehoe councillor Derrick Spear said that targets were quite often misconstrued, and that we should look to planning law instead. Marwood councillor Joe Tucker said it was sad we had to have targets instead of just using our common sense. Presumably, they will be saying this as the waters rise and flood the estuary, the tourists stop visiting our non-existent beeches, the crops wither in the fields, the gas, oil and coal have run out and the only sign of life is our own local nuclear power station at Yelland. Councillor Mike Edmunds of Ilfracombe was the only dissenting voice, giving a rousing speech about how our children would have to live with the consequences of our actions, if the application were to fail.
In throwing out this application in the safe knowledge that the NDD Councillors were only consultees and could blame the government if the project were to get the go-ahead from the DTI, the process now moves on to a full Public Enquiry in the New Year. With the level of support for wind energy nationally and regionally running at over 75%, it is absolutely vital that ordinary members of the public in favour of this application make their voices heard. It seems that, unfortunately, we cannot rely upon our local district councillors or their officers, to show the necessary vision to address even our own modest County renewable energy targets, let alone be part of the groundswell response to the Kyoto Protocol and this in the week of the Montreal Climate Conference.
A letter to the North Devon Journal (unpublished) from Anna Wotton, 29th Nov 2005
"NDDC Planning Meeting Farce 24th Nov - an absolute travesty of Democracy"
If the first NDDC councillor to speak on the proposed windfarm at Fullabrook Down claimed to have come into the room with an ‘open mind’ but then read out his pre-written speech and several councillors referred to those who had spoken out in favour of the wind farm as ‘objectors’ before the negative vote had even been cast... need one say any more?
The procedure is to my mind totally biased with the planning officer speaking for nearly a whole hour on the arguments against and 5 minutes on the environmental advantages. The developer also only had a 3-min slot as did other parties speaking out pro or contra the recommendation. It is time for our councillors to listen to the wider public and show the courage and integrity that only ONE INDEPENDENT councillor voiced at the meeting. Unfortunately in North Devon a combination of YELLOW and BLUE does NOT produce a GREEN effect!
One particular parish councillor had certainly not done her research on wind turbines as her claims were not just misguided but totally erroneous prompting a frantic retort from a couple of those who have researched the facts.
Several councillors iterated token posturings on global warming and the need for action but were not willing to accept responsibility for actually undertaking any measures here in Devon NOW.
I cited Germany as an example of where we should be. We are already benefiting from the experience gained in countries such as Germany. It is a known fact that any technology used more extensively becomes more efficient and economically viable.
Reunification has cost the German economy big time but at least it means that the former East sector is ‘cleaning up its act’. Instead of accusing (as one lady at the planning meeting in Barnstaple did on Thursday) and complaining about the pollution from the states in Eastern Europe we should be putting our own ‘affluent’ house in order and helping those states to become ‘greener’! The UK track record on the environment during our European presidency is frankly abysmal.
A letter to the North Devon Journal from Cllr Rosemary Brian, 28th Nov 2005
"Gagging Order on Devon Wind Power at Planning Meeting"
Dear Sir,
I attended the Planning Meeting of North Devon District Council last thursday where they discussed the application to build a windfarm at Fullabrook Down.
It was certainly an eye-opener on how the Council goes about its business. The proposed windfarm with 22 turbines is probably the most complex and technical application ever to come before North Devon Council. The planning manager referred to it as being of ‘major significance’. A good opportunity you would think to invite the applicants to explain their proposals and answer all those niggling questions, such as its operational reliability, noise nuisance, shadow flicker, etc which have been voiced since the proposals were launched eighteen months ago. Not a bit.
The first hour of the meeting was given over to the planning manager making his case for rejecting the application. Although his role is to present the benefits of the scheme alongside the dis-benefits, three quarters of his presentation was a recitation of the disadvantages of the proposals. When at the end he came to list some of the benefits, it wasn’t very convincing, more like he was going through the motions.
Next the public were given their say, each having three minutes to make their points.
Finally, the applicants, Devon Wind power, were given their opportunity to reply to the debate in THREE MINUTES. As the chairman Councillor Payne later explained, three minutes is all that applicants are ever allowed to speak to their applications. That may be sufficient to speak to a proposal to build a loft room over a garage, but a 22 turbine windfarm? As John McEnroe would say ‘You cannot be serious’.
It was clear that North Devon Council had no desire to, and no intention of, giving Devon Wind Power a fair hearing. The debate was neither fair, nor just, and one wonders, was it legal? They was gagged, stitched up, and I felt ashamed for what was done.
A letter to the Western Morning News from Jon Hooper, 8th Nov 2005
I am becoming increasingly disillusioned with Councillors who claim "we are all in favour of renewable energy" and then protest against the only renewable energy projects which are on offer.
In your headline article on 20th October, Sarah Child, chairman of Rackenford and Creacombe Parish Council outlined her opposition to the proposed wind farm at Batsworthy Cross. I would expect a responsible Councillor to base their opinions on authoritative facts, such as those published by the Department of Trade and Industry, or the Government’s Sustainable Development Commission. But Sarah says she has "learned from the arguments raging around other wind farm proposals".
There is a massive gulf between the rumors and hearsay that often surround wind farm proposals, and the solid facts, figures and evidence published by the Government and respected environmental organisations. In your article, Caroline Harvey says she is "terrified" by the prospect of noise from turbines half a mile away. Caroline would realise her fears are unfounded if she were to actually visit a wind farm, as I have, or if she read the Government’s booklet "Wind Power – your questions answered" which states "it is possible to have a normal conversation with someone while standing underneath a turbine without either of you having to raise your voice."
In a local by-election this week, I voted against the candidate who said he was against wind power. That candidate lost the election. Climate Change and Renewable Energy are big issues, and an increasing number of people will be expecting our Councillors to become better informed with the real facts on these issues if they want our votes.
A letter to the DTI from Cllr Cathrine Simmons, October 2005
Dear Mr Gusmag,
PROPOSED WIND FARM AT FULLABROOK, NORTH DEVON
I am writing in support of the above development. I am becoming increasing depressed with the attitude of many of our North Devon population to ignore the ever pressing problems of climate change. I do not understand those households who refuse to conserve electricity, take the car for the shortest of journeys and recycle nothing. It is as though the media reports on various disasters is nothing to do with them.
Although I live some distance from the proposed wind farm I do visit the area on day trips with family and friends and I am sure it will not be as intrusive and many people claim. I have seen the wind farm near Truro and I think it is pleasing to look at and I have also stood beside a single turbine and found the noise unintrusive.
I would be grateful if you could add my letter to the probably small list of supporters. The local paper gives a very one sided view and I am doing my best to redress this.
Yours sincerely,
Cathrine Simmons
A letter to the DTI from Anna Wotton, October 2005
Dear Sir,
I feel I must write to you and express my alarm that the small number of protesters - who short-sightedly wish to hamper efforts here in North Devon to harness the power of the wind to provide clean energy for local people - could sway the decision on the proposed Fullabrook wind farm. I am convinced that most of the ‘silent’ majority would want us to move forward and embrace wind power here in Devon. This has in fact been demonstrated by the positive result of doorstep surveys carried out by the local Green Party. After all, it would be possible to remove these installations after 25 years; however generating 25 years of clean energy while other methods are developed/improved must make sense. I am concerned that negative footage from Germany shown here on TV a while ago, which only featured an early project before the noise generated had been significantly reduced, was a project which had been badly conceived and placed too close to a village. I feel this absolutely gave the wrong impression to an already badly informed public. I have seenbut not heard wind farms in Germany which are a feature rather than an eyesore. When on holiday in Gran Canaria a few years ago my daughter and I were delighted to see the extensive offshore wind farm providing the energy for us.
We simply must act now and make every effort to save our environment from further damage. After all we were never consulted about the siting of telegraph poles etc which have been a real eyesore for so long we have just accepted them and have learnt to live with them. Wind farms when well designed are aesthetically pleasing and would most surely be welcomed by tourists to Devon as a responsible method of providing the energy they need.
Yours sincerely,
Anna Wotton
A letter to the Gazette (unpublished) from Ricky Knight, 26th Jan
Sir,
Matthew Jackson calls for a referendum on Wind Turbines (Letters, 19th Jan.). This is no more likely to happen than UKIP’s cunning plan to extricate the UK from the EU, with or without the silken Kilroy. In his particularly narrow attempt to interpret and represent the “mood of the people”, he makes the fundamental error of assuming that those who attend meetings on renewable energy schemes are necessarily reflecting majority opinion, that those who make twice the noise are worthy of twice the attention.
If this referendum were to take place, however, I suspect he would be very disappointed when confronted by the result, which would indicate what has already been established by a series of NOP, MORI and other national and regional opinion polls; namely that the clear majority of the electorate, and by that I mean between 70% and 85%, support renewable energy in general and wind turbines in particular. Admittedly, they are not all gung-ho for them; they are mindful of the concerns and doubts of those living close-by to such wind-farms and often admit that they wouldn’t want them in their own back-yard – this is a common and human enough reservation. But they base their opinion and preference on an overriding conviction that something has to be done, that every community has to play its part, that we are running out of time. Global Warming is a scientific fact. It is being caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Please let me hear clearly what Mr Jackson and his euro-phobic, single-issue party intend to do about. I really want to see it in black and white.
Yours truly,
Ricky Knight
Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, North Devon Green Party
A letter to the Gazette (unpublished) from Peter Christie, 26th Jan
Dear Sir,
The UKIP Parliamentary candidate for Torridge & West Devon writes to propose a local referendum on wind farms. Presuming UKIP will allow the same process in North Somerset does he think the residents around Hinkley Point will vote to keep their two nuclear power stations - plus another there is permission for? Almost certainly not – yet Devon depends on Hinkley for its electricity – will UKIP want us all to live in the dark or will we have to buy electricity brought long distances to us via a privatised National Grid? What is needed is a rational and national approach to energy production in Britain – with different regions playing to their strengths plus a massive drive to cut energy use. Such an approach needs to be adopted quickly both for the sake of future generations and if we are to avoid more ‘energy wars’ such as Iraq.
Yours,
Peter Christie, N.Devon Green Party
A letter to the Journal (unpublished) from Mike Harrison, 19th Dec
Dear Sir
In November’s public meeting to discuss Fullabrook wind energy only one view was expressed – that it would damage tourism. The Parish by-election results of 9th December show that the issues are more open. I would like to thank the many residents of Braunton who voted Green.
A significant proportion of people in Braunton would seem to welcome a wider discussion and are prepared to accept some responsibility for action. We can do things about energy and about transport, as the Green Party has suggested. As the Earth warms up, the air can hold much more moisture with all too evident consequences. Nationally well over 70 per cent in public opinion polls are in favour of wind energy. Local surveys and public response to recent library exhibitions would seem to indicate that this is the case across North Devon as a whole.
Rather than the ‘resounding vote of support’ that the Lib Dems claimed last week, the vote shows more of a balance. At a first attempt, for the Green Party to go from nothing to 27 per cent is quite exceptional. I’m looking forward to next time!
Statement in SUPPORT of Fullabrook Down Windfarm Application, Ilfracombe, North Devon.
A letter by Rosemary Brian, November 2004
Sent simultaneously to The Department of Trade of Industry and
the North Devon District CouncilI wish to make the following points IN FAVOUR of the Fullabrook Down Windfarm.
1] The windfarm will supply 44,000 households in North Devon with locally generated renewable electricity. This is virtually every household in North Devon [there are approximately 45,000 households in North Devon]. This electricity will be generated without any emissions of carbon dioxide, the principle greenhouse gas, which is responsible for global warming.
2] Locally generated electricity on this scale will be beneficial to the local economy. It means that North Devon will not have to ‘buy in’ all its electricity as it does now. Money spent on local domestic electricity will ‘stay in the area’, rather than leaving the area, and supporting economies some distance from North Devon.
3] There will be a reduction in the amount of electricity lost in transmission due to electricity being transmitted over long distances. A higher proportion of the electricity generated will be available to the end user.
4] The windfarm will meet one third of the target of electricity generated from renewable sources by 2010 which the government t has set for Devon. This will help the UK government meet its international obligations under the Kyoto Protocol. The government is committed to reducing green house gas emissions and slowing down the rate of global warming, which threatens global catastrophe. It is important that the people of North Devon play their part in this vital process. It is not sufficient for the people of North Devon to leave it to others to help solve the problem of global warming.
5] The area of North Devon is a coastal area with many beautiful but shallow beaches and low lying villages behind the beaches. These areas will almost certainly be subject to coastal flooding as sea levels rise as the ice caps of the Arcticand Greenland continue to melt. North Devon has a direct interest in slowing down global warming as it will be directly effected by it. This is another reason why the people of North Devon should engage in the process of trying to slow down global warming.
6] The main opponents of the windfarm are citing their reasons as the deleterious effect it will have on tourism and the local economy. However the wind farm will not be sited in a protected landscape. It is not in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, nor is it in the Exmoor National Park. The turbines will be visible from within the AONB and from the Exmoor NationalPark but they will only be seen from a distance. It is true that the landscape is attractive and is valued by the residents who live there. But it is also true to say that wherever people live they value their landscape. They value what is familiar to them and what they have grown by years of attachment to love.
7] The A361 as the principal road in the area, from Braunton to Mullacott Cross could not be described a scenic route. It has a significant amount of ribbon development along its length as it leaves Braunton. The hinterland behind the A361 could not be described as a ‘tourist’ area as such. It is an agricultural area, punctuated by small hamlets and other settlements. There are only two public houses in the whole of the area covered by the application [one at West Down and one at Prixford]. The public houses serve the local community but do not serve the tourist industry. [By contrast, the coastal village of Croyde, which is a hub of the tourist industry, has three very large pubs serving tourists,numerous restaurants and bars, and two large holiday camps, plus numerous camp sites. This is truly a tourist centre. A mile or two along the road the village of Georgeham also has two large pubs, also serving tourists, as well as the local population.]
8] Tourists to the area do not penetrate the area covered by the application to any degree. To tryto prove how off the beaten track this area is and how unaffected it is by tourists, myself and a fellow Parish Councillor, from nearby Georgeham Parish Council, Mrs Verly Meeks, decided, after the Fullabrook proposals had been announced, to walk the principle bridleway crossing the area of the application, the Fullabrook Down Bridleway, to see how well used it was. We found that it was walkable up to a point that it gave access to a local farmers field for arable cultivation. Thereafter, it was completely overgrown and not passable on foot. We concluded that it could not have been walked by local people for some years. We did this experimental walk on 3rd August 2004.
9] Research shows that tourists are not put off by the presence of wind farms in tourist destinations. Cornwall, despite being a pioneer of wind farms, still attracts tourists in their millions. The area around Padstow, in North Cornwall, is one of the most popular tourist areas in Cornwall, despite the presence of two windfarms, the DelaboleWindfarm, and the St Breoks windfarm. You can climb to the top of the cliffs above Padstow and walk along the South West Coast Path and watch the turbines of the St Breoks windfarm and they in no way detract from the views of this superb piece of coast line.
10] It is said that the presence of windfarms have a depressing effect on house prices [though this is not a planning issue]. However, Padstow, for instance with its two windfarms, was reported earlier this year in a house price survey to have the fastest rising house prices in the country and the highest house prices in the South West.
11] Opponents of wind farms claim that they are noisy. To disprove this and many of the other myths associated with and surrounding windfarms, the Department of Trade and Industry, in conjuction with the British Wind Energy Association, recently [19th October 2004] held a [free] conference on the planning issues surrounding windfarms at a hotel near Bodmin. The conference included a visit to the St Breoks wind farm, to prove, among other things that you could stand beneath a turbine and hold a conversation. The conference was intended to demystify many issues about windfarms, site selection criteria, effects on wildlife, restrictions on windfarm proliferation, etc etc. It is very sad that only two councillors from the North Devon District Council took the trouble to avail themselves of this important opportunity to learn about the subject, when it was on their doorstep. I also attended this important event as a Parish Councillor froma neighbouring Parish. Given that the North Devon DistrictCouncil is a statutory consultee on this application, one wonders whether the Councillors have made every effort to inform themselves on what has been described as the most far reaching planning application ever to be presented to the Council.
12] I recently attended a meeting of the Braunton Parish Council Planning Committee [11th November 2004] at which the MP, Mr Nick Harvey was invited to speak, against the planning application. He advised the meeting that they ‘do it differently in Germany’. H e advised the meeting that in Germany the government and the wind farm industry sit down together and work out which sites would be suitable for windfarms and which would not. Consequently windfarms developers do not put in applications to develop in areas already decided as unsuitable and the local communities are not disturbed by having speculative applications for windfarms made in their areas where these are known to be unsuitable.’Why cant we do it like that here?’ lamented Mr Harvey. I understand, sites for windfarms have been identified by the Devon County Council andthe Fullabrook Down Site has been identified as a suitable site because of its prevailing wind conditions. However, the local County Council representatives don’t seem to have communicated this information to the local community. As a consequence, the local community have gone into battle mode against the proposals, and have initiated a campaign ‘say no to giant wind turbines in North Devon’. The entire political leadership in North Devon has united against the proposals. Only the Green party have attempted to encourage in the local newspaper debate about some of the positives of the proposals. I do believe that the local mainstream political community has failed to take opportunities to inform themselves about the issues and have failed to give informed leadership to the community as a consequence. The Local Strategic Partnership is also asked in PPS22 to ‘foster community involvement in renewable energyprojects and seek to promote knowledge of and greater acceptance by the public of prospective renewable energy developments that are appropriately located.’ The Local Strategic Partnership in the area has not done this.
13] The local community has expressed concern that the local environment will be disturbed during the construction stage. It is regretted that hedgerows will be disturbed, and there will be distruption to the local environment. What has not been acknowledged is that hedgerows recover, the environment recovers once the construction phase is over and the machinery has been taken away.
14] The protest groups in the area have said that because wind is intermittent, wind farms are inefficient and there will still be a need at all times to have back up electricity generation from fossil fuel sources. However, it has never been claimed that wind energy can make more than a limited contribution to electricity generation. The target is for all renewables taken together to contribute 10% to electricity generation by the year 2010 and for wind energy to contribute about 80% of this. The target for 2020 is for 20% of electricity to come from renewable sources, and for wave power, biomass, off shore wind power to play a bigger part by this date as these technologies develop. In time renewables will make a bigger contribution to electricity generation. As our supplies of fossil fuels [gas and oil] run out, and energy security issues become more pressing, renewables and energy conservation will come to play a more significant role.
15] The issue of the size of the turbines has dominated the debate locally. They have been described as ‘giant’ or ‘monster’ turbines. The fact is, smaller turbines are no longer made, simply because the larger turbines are about 10 times more efficient than the smaller ones. One would need ten times as many turbines for the same output from smaller turbines. This would have just as adverse an impact on the environment as a smaller number of large turbines.
16] The community in North Devon puts a lot of value on the quality of its landscape and the visual amenity it provides to those who live here and the tourists who visit here. The implication has been throughout the debate which has raged in North Devon since the proposals were announced that we should be allowed to keep our environment intact and that communities in other areas far from Devon should provide us with our electricity to the detriment of their environment so that we can keep our environment intact. I do not think that this is a position which can be held with any degree of moral justification. I believe that the fears about the likely impact on the tourist economy have been exaggerated and will not come to pass. There are said to be one thousand wind turbines in the pipeline awaiting construction. In not many years from now, visitors to North Devon will be familiar with wind turbines, whether in the places where they live, or other places such as Scandinavia, Denmark, or Germany, Scotland etc where they go on holiday, and these turbines will be accepted as normal. They will have become absorbed
into the visual environment and will have become acceptable. Hopefully they will be valued for the contribution they make to reducing greenhouse gases, and to turning back the tide [ if it isn’t already too late] of global warming.From Parish Councillor Miss Rosemary Brian, Georgeham Parish Council. [views expressed are my own]. Member of the Green party.
11th November 2004.
A letter to the DTI from Jon Hooper, November 2004
Hello,
I’m writing in support of the Proposed 66 MW Wind Turbine project at Fullabrook Down, North Devon.
I welcome wind energy as a good immediate way to tackle Climate Change and meet our energy needs.
The majority of people I talk to are also in favour of a Wind Farm in North Devon, although the newspapers seem to mainly feature the vocal minority who oppose such schemes.
As far as I’m aware, wind power has the most potential to be deployed immediately and make a big difference to the proportion of our energy which is supplied from renewable sources. I would also support Biomass, hydroelectric, and offshore wind, wave and tidal stream technologies, but from what I’ve read, none of these match the potential of onshore wind farms to make a significant contribution before 2010. Local anti-wind campaigners and politicians are telling us that offshore technologies are a viable alternative to onshore wind power, but they always fail to mention that offshore technologies are not ready for widespread commercial deployment in the way that onshore wind power currently is. I want to see us taking some local action against climate change now, not in ten or twenty years’ time.
I believe that many of the common objections to wind farms are outdated or out of perspective. Noise levels from turbines have been reduced in recent years, and there is no significant emission of low-frequency noise to affect people’s health. Turbines will have very little effect on local habitats and biodiversity, though the building process will be slightly more intensive than some other rural developments. Very few birds are affected or killed by turbines, and the one or two per year that are killed pale into insignificance compared with the thousands of birds killed on our roads. The issue of wind power being intermittent does not seem a problem to the authorities running the national grid, and as far as I’m aware, many fossil-fuel power stations are able to turn down their power output and fuel consumption as and when intermittent sources such as wind are making their contribution. A national grid running of many smaller renewable energy projects such as Wind Farms would actually be more stable and predictable, and less power would be generated “just in case” it was needed.
I would like to see studies done on the devaluation of properties in the immediate vicinity of wind farms, and the feasibility of compensation, as this must be a real concern for local residents.
North Devon currently has very few, if any, visible wind farm projects, and as such some local residents worry and speculate about how the visual impact will affect them. I think a large, well known project will, once people get used to it, make everyone feel a lot happier about Wind Turbines and more welcoming of further projects in the area.
Yours sincerely,
Jon Hooper
A letter to the DTI from Mike Harrison, November 2004
Wind energy makes sense. I would like to support the application for wind turbines at Fullabrook.
1. There is a serious risk of energy shortfall medium term – investment in some system is essential. ‘New’ technologies are unlikely to be ready and conventional technologies may become unattractive on price grounds. Wind is the answer.
2. There are very few suitable sites in Devon because of variations in wind potential or proximity to coast or National Parks. Fullabrook is the best place – high enough and near enough to the coast for wind yet not too visible because of convex slopes.
3. There are benefits of sourcing energy locally – increased reliability and reducing transmission wastage. North Devon is in a vulnerable position and Fullabrook could help considerably.
4. It is proven technology, clean, quiet and efficient. There would be a good payback on investment, at much lower cost than offshore schemes.
5. Arguments about the negative effect on tourism and property prices are greatly exaggerated. Turbines would not be visible from beaches or even coastal settlements – most people come for the beaches, turbines if anything enhance the attraction – 70% nationally think wind power is a good idea. Padstow does very well!
6. The visual impact is overstated. Most objectors live several km away but describe turbines as though they were in their back garden.
7. Local employment opportunities will be increased.
8. Political opposition, from all except the Green Party, is not based on realities, merely on possible political gain. In some cases local views are discordant with national party policies.
Much research has gone into this site. The potential is there. It should be built.
A letter to the Journal from Jon Hooper, 2nd Nov 2004
I would like to thank Brian MacBeth for his letter last week, which gave a very good list of the many Renewable Energy sources available to us in North Devon, and invited us in the Green Party to clarify our position on them. Mr MacBeth’s letter asked why our Green Party parliamentary candidate, Cllr Ricky Knight, in his letter from 21st Oct, talked only about the benefits of Onshore Wind Power. The answer is simple: Onshore Wind Power is currently under attack; those other Renewable Energy sources are not. In fifteen years’ time, when we may begin to see planning proposals for Offshore Wind & Tidal Stream Power Farms, we will be writing similar targeted letters in support of these newer technologies.
The North Devon Green Party, alongside Greenpeace, Friends Of The Earth and the WWF, would like to see all forms of Renewable Energy utilised to the full. Right now, these organisations particularly support Onshore Wind Power because it has the most potential, yet is often opposed by groups of local residents, who form themselves into pressure groups. I believe it’s misleading to talk of choices, for example between energy conservation and renewable energy: to be effective in halting Climate Change; we need both! It’s also misleading to have someone speak yet again of tidal and wave energy, without making clear that they are future technologies that we can’t afford to wait fifteen years for. When they arrive, we’ll certainly use them but for now, we desperately need Wind Power.
Mr MacBeth put a strong case for all of us taking responsibility for reducing our personal energy usage. This is something the Green Party wholeheartedly agrees with. Hopefully, rising awareness of Climate Change, coupled with increased energy bills, will encourage more individuals to make responsible and financially astute choices: energy-efficient appliances, loft insulation, and simple actions such as closing doors and turning lights off can all help.
Solar heating systems were strongly advocated by Mr MacBeth. Cllr Ricky Knight already has a Solar system on his roof, and it would be great to see them on all new developments, as well as civic buildings such as schools.
We in the Green Party have policies to tackle Climate Change from all directions at once. Energy conservation, efficient and effective transport, and Renewable Energy Sources will be the three equal cornerstones for an environmentally sustainable future.
Jon Hooper,
North Devon Green Party
A letter to the Journal from Ricky Knight, 3rd Oct 2004
Dear Sir,
May I, through the letters’ page, suggest to Nick Harvey, MP and to Orlando Fraser, the Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Conservatives, that they help to introduce some joined-up thinking to their responses to the wind turbine proposals. Wind Energy is clean and safe. We have plenty of wind (too much!) in the South West, and it will never run out. The proposed turbines (yes, they are big!) will be taken down anyway at the end of their working life, in twenty years’ time, and we’ll have the choice of replacing them with the newer technology options – offshore wind and wave power - which will then be available.
Leaders within our community need to temper their responses with the knowledge that our gas and oil supplies are running out, that climate change is already starting to flood our towns and may eventually destroy our beaches, and that the only real solution is to stop burning fossil fuels and start supporting renewable energy alternatives. Onshore wind, biomass and hydroelectric power schemes can all be up and running soon. Other options simply aren’t ready yet.
The public need real facts in real context and a mature debate about the pressing need for renewable energy, not a knee-jerk reaction to perceived aesthetics, and not distorted claims that the public are against wind farms. All professional surveys (not opt-in phone or internet polls) show that at least three quarters of the public are in favour of wind farms, particularly those living near wind farms already built.
Our young people rely on this generation of politicians of all parties to make sensible and brave decisions, to secure our energy requirements for the future and to protect our beautiful countryside in the long term. A little less playing to the gallery and a little more responsible representation is in order.
Yours faithfully
Ricky Knight
Green Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for North Devon
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