Many will be aware that the Howdenshire village of Spaldington has for this past two and a half years been fighting off two wind farm companies each wanting to construct overly large wind turbines close to the village. One application was granted consent recently at appeal but the other was dismissed....
One would have thought the residents had gone through enough and could do with a break, take time to reflect and time to recoup their financial losses.
I was therefore staggered this weekend to receive a letter from RWE npower renewables informing me that they had recently started to investigate the potential for wind farm development on land near Spaldington, and that they would be submitting a planning application to the East Riding of Yorkshire Council next week for an anemometer mast.
The letter acknowledges that the company is aware of the recent appeal decisions on the Spaldington Airfield and Spaldington Common Schemes and have studied those applications, and they are giving careful thought to how their proposals would fit with the consented wind farm. They also state that they are taking into account the reasons for refusal for the Spaldington Common wind farm to ensure they can work with the community and key stake holders to design a wind farm that is suitable for the area. They then purport to recognise the importance and sensitivity of the recent decisions…. Is this some sort of sick joke?
The community of Spaldington is still trying to recover from the imposition of one wind farm next to their village, having failed in their gallant attempt to fend off two wind farm developers at the same time, despite the village funding their own team of expert witnesses and a barrister at the recent Public Inquiry. So before the dust has settled, before those residents have the chance to reflect on what has been a difficult and costly year for them, we have another wind farm company putting forward plans for an alternative site next to their village.
My message to RWE npower renewables is simple, this may well turn out to be a wind farm in the right place, but where is the sensitivity you talk about in your letter, could you not wait until the residents of Spaldington had been given the time to reflect on their difficult year over the Christmas period? Your actions are akin to fighting over a dead man’s estate before the funeral has been held – you should be ashamed!
11 comments:
Here we go again……
Almost 2 years to the day since we were confronted with the box loads of files containing the planning applications for Spaldington Airfield and Spaldington Common wind farms, we hear of yet another wind farm proposed for this area.
Let us hope that RWE will take on board the whole of the planning inspector’s decision, including the conditions he has imposed. Yes, he granted Spaldington Airfield with turbines 750m from houses BUT with NO micrositing allowed towards surrounding properties – showing that this distance is the absolute minimum he considered acceptable for a small wind farm of only 5 closely spaced turbines. In addition he imposed the lowest noise limits possible within ETSU. We understand from discussions at the Inquiry that in order to meet these lowest noise limits, the turbines will have to be run in constrained mode – again showing that for only 5 turbines, 750m is still too close for them to be run at maximum efficiency and full power. Noise levels are determined by both proximity and the number of turbines – a larger wind farm with more turbines will therefore need a greater separation to surrounding properties.
Let us also hope that RWE are more genuine in their offer of working with the local community and keeping us informed than our previous experience of dealing with Coriolis and particularly Volkswind. The greatest fear is in the unknown – where are RWE proposing to site these turbines? How many will there be? How big might they be? What access are they intending to use? We are not mushrooms – RWE, please do not keep us in the dark and feed us bullshit!
Please sign this petition against wind farms at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22958
Petition: We do not want any more onshore wind turbines/farms in Norfolk or elsewhere in the UK.
We appeal to our MPs to represent our views and to vehemently oppose these projects. These plants are an uneconomical and inefficient way to produce electricity and are only pursued by the Government to secure the "green" vote and to keep the EU happy. Locally, they industrialise the landscape, have detrimental health, financial and other effects on peoples lives, destroy wildlife and have a negative impact on tourism. The billions of pounds wasted on these projects should be used in other areas to improve the lot of the British people.
If you agree with this petition please spread the word.
We have certainly had our fill of wind farms and wind farm developers in Spaldington over the last years; the scavengers may be falling on the corpse of Spaldington Common wind farm but they should not look ravenously towards the village. Spaldington is weary of the fight, but if we are threatened again we know how to respond. These are very early days and the extent of what is planned for the Foulness corridor is not yet public, but as always noise and proximity to uninvolved people’s homes will be key issues. There may possibly be space for a less unacceptable wind farm somewhere between Welhambridge and Gribthorpe but that remains to be seen. Any turbines sited west of the river or suggestions of an access route along Main Street and Ings Lane would certainly alarm Spaldington and would likely mean a return to arms.
RWE npower renewables is the developer of Goole Fields I and Goole Fields II wind farms. Goole Fields I is consented and construction is likely to start in 2012 and the planning application for Goole Fields II is said to be due at anytime. The planned access route for the construction traffic (tens of thousands of HGV journeys) for Goole Fields II reportedly runs within 10- 40 yards of a number of homes and only 60 yards from the main building of Marshland Primary School in Old Goole! So the sensitivity that RWE have shown towards residents of Spaldington in the timing of their revelation is, unfortunately, entirely in character. Beware.
Talpa
I started the petition below because of my involvement in a campaign to stop a 285 foot turbine being built in the midst of the beautiful, unspoilt, and historical landscape of North Norfolk. I realised that even if we could persuade our local authority to refuse this application the final decision could rest with central government.
I also believe that the British public want to make the Government aware of their feelings and objections to these monstrosities which are beginning to blight our green and pleasant land. The way things are going it won't be long before "there is one near you". As with many other things, our elected representatives seem to be completely out of touch with the electorate on this issue.
Many people are now concerned about the bigger picture - they are becoming aware that wind energy is a big scam and it is a way for Companies/Individuals, who do not really care about the environment, to get rich quick. They also realise that wind turbines are highly subsidised by the taxpayer, expensive, inefficient machines promoted by central government to get the green vote and to meet the requirements imposed by the EU. They feel that it would be better to pursue tide and solar power which is more predictable.
Others are concerned about the social injustice and how the quality of their own lives will be affected. They are worried about the noise, possible health problems, damage to bats, birds and other wildlife, the visual intrusion on a historic landscape and the devaluation of their properties. They are incensed that developers claim that none of these concerns are valid but are not prepared to offer compensation if these fears materialise. They feel that the developers new found riches are at their expense.
Most are concerned that this could be the thin end of the wedge and the country will eventually be taken over, as has already occurred in parts of Scotland, by these machines and their required infrastructure such as pylons and electricity substations. This would ruin the landscape and affect the tourist industry which is the life blood of many areas.
The other sad thing is that wind power will never save the planet. Back up power sources will always be required and any fuel saved will be used elsewhere. It will be sold at lower prices to other nations making them more competitive in international markets. People also tend to forget that the money being wasted on this "green" dream could, as well as reducing electricity prices, be used in the health service, looking after the vulnerable, for affordable housing, reducing tuition fees for students and in other areas to improve the lot of the British people.
From the above you will appreciate that there are many reasons why you should sign the petition at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/22958 and persuade your friends and other contacts to do the same.
The windfarm companies should really get Jeremy Clarkson treatment - take them out and shoot them, along with their sundry expert witnesses and advocates. Perhaps better if the government simply abolished subsidies or FITs for any site not already under construction.
I'm with John Jessop on this. No more financial incentives just let the wind energy company stump up for the full costs and get open market rate for the power produced in competition to king coal and the others.
Shoot 'em?
Nah, shooting's too good for 'em.
Electrocution by wind turbine: that would be a long, slow, death....
I would like to see some evidence presented for all the claims that have been made in the comments. Unfortunately most come across as misinformed, uneducated, right wing, 'not on my doorstep' comments.
Posting Clarkson related comments just reinforces this impression!
It is unfortunate but true to say that most of the applications for planning permission are made by "non-uk" companies. Any profits made are ultimately not for uk benefit, although funded by uk consumers. Additionally the "green" arguments do not sit well with the need to maintain fossil fuelled stations on line and up to steam pressure so as to be able to pick up load rapidly when the wind drops in the areas of turbines.
Add to this consideration the vast amount of CO2 generated in the manufacture of the cement plus excavation and transport of aggregate to make the concrete required for foundations and roads to access the turbines. The refinement & manufacture of the steel and plastics, and associated energy infrastructure upgrades show the on-costs to be far greater than anyone admits.
When considered in conjunction with the nuisance factor to people living in the shadow of a windfarm there is little left in favour of on-shore siting.
Off-shore sites may have less nuisance effect but if the energy companies wish to go forward full disclosure of performance information should be a prerequisite and localism be granted full control to reject unsuitable applications without fear of override by national government or horrendous legal cost to local council taxpayers.
There is really no justice in the "incentives" being offered to the wind companies. The slavish following of badly cobbled together arguments to blame natural temperature cycling on mankind puny effects is leading the UK into a very expensive blind alley with devastating effect on national economic circumstances. The UK is simply not capable of producing sufficient CO2 to have a serious effect by comparison with the rest of the developed or developing world.
The whole concept of wind power being a solution is WRONG but for the power produced to enjoy such inflated payment AND be paid for electricity deemed to be generated when the wind is actually high but demand is low is economic insanity. The price per unit paid by the regional electricity companies should be the same across all fuel sources. After all the price of water is roughly the same no matter which reservoir it is collected in. Deemed generation should also be terminated forthwith.
If I recall correctly when the CEGB was in existence the countries electrical load was preferentially taken from the superstations that had lowest generating costs. The idea of giving preference to a source that had higher generating cost would have been laughed out of the arena.
The privatisation of the electricity industry was badly thought out and badly executed but worst of all it opened the door to foreign ownership and our society is now paying a heavy price for the mistakes.
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