Opposition mounts to wind turbines plan
A CAMPAIGN has been mounted against a proposal to build three wind turbines which would be one-and-a-half times the height of Gloucester Cathedral.
Neighbours to the proposed site, on farmland at Upper Strensham, near Tewkesbury, fear the 126 metre turbines will be noisy and spoil their view.
-
They want them to be built further away from the village.
Rod and Laura Wood have collected 120 signatures on a petition calling for the turbines to be placed at least 2km away from Upper Strensham.
The plans were put on display at Strensham Village Hall yesterday by developer Wind Prospect.
Speaking at the exhibition, Mr Wood said the turbines would be built less than 1km from the village.
He said they would have a big visual impact, not just on Strensham but on nearby Twyning too.
He said: "Wind turbines are not being properly controlled. The Government isn't upgrading the guidelines which were drawn up in 1997 when they were much smaller.
"Then, they were about 50 metres high as opposed to 125 metres."
He said he had a house in France where there were turbines eight miles away and it was not a problem.
He added: "People in Twyning think they're going to be unaffected but they will be able to see them."
Adrian Kelly;s family is one of a number who live in a community at Ley Farm, close to where the turbines would be built.
He says energy from rivers and floodplain water should be tapped into instead.
He said: "We've got a lot of water around here and yet they're going to use wind turbines."
Bristol-based Wind Prospect wants to get permission to put the turbines on land overlooking the M5 and M50.
The cluster would be just north of the M50, close to Harbour Wood. Each one would consist of an 80 metre tower and 46 metre blades.
The company said it would provide clean and green electricity, helping in the fight against climate change and providing a renewable alternative to the burning of fossil fuels.
It said the turbines would form part of the national strategy to increase the capacity of renewable energy in the UK and it intends to submit a planning application to Tewkesbury Borough Council shortly.
13 Comments
View all
by tooclose, Upper Strensham
Friday, September 19 2008, 10:02AM
“May I just point out that in Strensham we are not against green energy or wind turbines in principle but believe turbines this big should not be so close to homes. All of Upper Strensham falls within 1km of the proposed turbine site, contradicting the government guidelines on minimum distance of most major European countries and Scotland, with the nearest homes under 650m away. This proposal is nothing to do with being green - it is all about making money for the developers.”
by Michael, Bristol
Friday, September 19 2008, 8:31AM
“I'm interested by the comments by Lecorche. 10x as powerful. I think you may have made that up.
The only tidal turbine that MCT have implemented is the 1.2MW SeaGen. Even if this was 100% efficient (which it isn't) that would only produce the equivalent of one and a half times the amount of electricity that a modern onshore wind turbine does.
Please try to stick to the facts!”
by Lecorche, Gloucestershire
Thursday, September 18 2008, 8:37PM
“There is a version of these bladed generators that sits on the sea bed and is already being used and developed around the world.
One of these machines is equivalent to 10 or more wind powered machines.
Search the web for Marine Current Turbines. (Bristol).”
by N Lys, Hilltwen
Thursday, September 18 2008, 4:45PM
“Some of the comments here display an astonishing ignorance of the facts.
For information:
Green guru Jonathan Porrit's Sustainable Development Commission states: ¿It would be unrealistic to assume that wind energy would displace any nuclear capacity,¿ (¿Wind Power in the UK¿, p35).
In fact, lots of wind turbines will require more fossil-fuelled power stations to back them up. Don't take my word for it, listen to what a major power company (and wind farm operator!) has to say:
"E.ON said that it could take 50 gigawatts of renewable electricity generation to meet the EU target. But it would require up to 90% of this amount as backup from coal and gas plants to ensure supply when intermittent renewable supplies were not available. That would push Britain's installed power base from the existing 76 gigawatts to 120 gigawatts."
"Paul Golby, E.ON UK's chief executive, declined to be drawn on how much the expansion would cost, beyond saying it would be "significant". Industry sources estimate the bill for additional generation could be well in excess of £50bn." (Guardian, 4 June 2008).
Professor Sir David King, the Government's former chief scientific adviser has also warned that: "If we overdo wind we are going to put up the price of electricity and that means more people will fall into the fuel poverty trap." (BBC News, 4 September 2008).
According to Government figures, wind 'farms' currently get 46% of their earnings from subsidies (these amount to c. 14% your electricity bills).
If you want to see the countryside covered in thousands of highly subsidised 350-500 ft. industrial turbines that will, on the evidence from other countries, have absolutely no effect on carbon emissions then do please support the wind developers.
They rely on 'useful idiots' who do not understand the technology to support them and they will be laughing all the way to the bank.”
by happy, Stroud
Thursday, September 18 2008, 2:18PM
“I think windturbines in Tewkesbury is a good idea wish people would get there facts right they are not noise seams The people from Tewkebury are nimby
you should all grow up and face the facts this is the way forward
the world is changing we have to change with it”