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Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to respond with comments on the proposal, either via the Have Your Say section of the website, by email, letter, phone or in person at either the public exhibition or one of the parish meetings.
Following, in no particular order, is a summary of the key issues and concerns raised to date and our responses.
Noise from the proposed turbines
Many people have raised a concern that the proposed turbines will generate noise at levels that may lead to disturbance at their houses. The issue of noise is something that we take very seriously and to a large degree dictates the separation distance we apply between turbines and the nearest houses, which in this instance is around 700 metres. Based on our experience at other sites, this separation distance will be sufficient to prevent any noise nuisance arising from this scheme, and indeed it is a greater separation distance than has been successfully used by other developers at many of their sites.
To fully address this issue we have commissioned an independent noise impact assessment, undertaken in accordance with the guidelines stipulated by the ETSU-R-97 report The Assessment and Rating of Noise from Wind Farms, a copy can be downloaded here. The report will be submitted with the planning application, when it is lodged, and as such will be available for viewing at that time.
If you live close to the proposal, and are concerned about the noise, the best advice we can give is to go and visit an existing wind farm. There is a list of all operational projects in the UK on the BWEA website here, and these can also be viewed on a map here.
The turbines will be a blot on the landscape
Clearly, the issue of whether or not wind turbines have an adverse impact on the landscape is a subjective issue, and the matter of some debate. There is currently a full landscape and visual impact assessment being prepared in accordance with best practice by independent consultants, which will look to quantify the significance of the visual effects on the surrounding area.
Given that wind turbines represent a quick and cost effective way of producing renewable energy, it is suggested that any adverse affects the proposed turbines are perceived to have on the landscape should be weighed against the benefits of the renewable energy generated, including increased security of energy supply and combating the causes of climate change.
As with the noise impact assessment, the LVIA will be available for viewing once the planning application is lodged, and we recommend that people reserve judgement on the potential landscape impact until such time as the report is available.
Marston, Church Eaton, High Onn etc are in Stafford Borough Council, but the application will be in South Staffordshire District Council, so our opinions won't be heard
Once the application for the wind farm is lodged with South Staffordshire District Council, they will consult with the local community prior to making any determination. Anyone can submit a consultation response to South Staffordshire District Council, and all consultations will have equal weight, irrespective of which Council area they live in. If you are still concerned about this issue please contact the Council directly and discuss the matter with them.
Property prices are affected by wind energy development
While it is not the purpose of the planning system to protect the value of private property, evidence from operating wind farms in England, Wales and Scotland demonstrates that there is no clear evidence suggesting wind farms have a material effect on house prices. We are aware of reports relating to impacts on house prices, the most recent being research published by RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors). A copy of the RICS report can be downloaded here.
We do appreciate that there can be some turbulence in the prices when a wind farm is first proposed, which is largely down to the unknown element. To help potential buyers and sellers understand the visual impact of the proposal on the residence in question, we are offering a wireframe acetate to any property that is for sale within 2km of the site, as this should give a fairly good idea of how the proposal will look from that residence. Please contact info@kingsstreetwindfarm.co.uk for more information.
Wind energy is expensive
Wind energy currently receives financial support in the form of Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs), which has led many people to believe that it is not economical, and that it does not provide a good return on capital investment. This viewpoint is both misinformed and misleading, for a number of reasons.
First, it is crucial that the UK diversifies its energy mix. This is important not only to combat climate change, but also to ensure that we are able to ensure security of supply. The system of ROCs is a way of creating market demand for renewable energy technologies. It depends not on government subsidies, but instead passes the extra costs on to the consumer, and goes some way to correcting the fact that energy produced from fossil fuels bares ‘hidden’ costs; namely, the contribution made to climate change.
Second, wind is a free, clean and renewable fuel which will never run out. Once installed, the only costs are operation and maintenance, and fixed costs such as land rental and local rates. In contrast, the cost of producing energy from gas, coal and oil (which together provide around 73% of the UK’s electricity) has risen substantially in the past years.
Lastly, the cost of financing wind energy schemes has fallen dramatically as lenders have gained confidence in the technology. Economically therefore, wind energy is becoming an increasingly attractive form of energy generation.
There are other cheaper/more effective types of renewable generation
Whilst other forms of generation will need to play a part in our energy mix, onshore wind power is currently one of the cheapest methods of getting renewable energy into the grid. Offshore wind may also play a major role in the future, but currently requires twice the support through the renewables obligation that onshore wind does.
The prospects for tidal, wave and solar energy are very exciting, but even though they too receive around twice the support through the renewables obligation, the technologies are still in the very early stages and are not yet ready to contribute significantly to our energy mix.
Wind energy requires back-up from traditional generation and therefore doesn't save any greenhouse gas emissions
All electricity generation requires back-up, the extent of that back-up is commensurate to the size and types of electricity generators on line, so that if a particular electricity generator/s were to fail or go off line there would be sufficient back-up capacity to meet demand (this back-up, or capacity margin, is currently 15% of total generation).
There have been three recent reports on the grid connecting to variable power sources such as wind, one by National Grid, one by the Coalition of Environmental NGOs and another by Poyry, all in the summer of 2009. These reports all conclude that a large penetration of wind in the grid is manageable. National Grid Report, Poyry Report, BWEA Press release.
Some may recall the wide spread black-outs that occurred in May 2008, these were the result of two traditional electricity generators unexpectedly going offline at the same time (Sizewell B - nuclear, and Longannet - coal fired). Increased renewable energy generation, including energy from the wind, will create a more robust system with smaller, and geographically dispersed generators, less susceptible to large scale outages, particularly if you consider the low probability of a no-wind day.
The site is not windy enough
It is a fairly common misconception that for a wind farm to be feasible, it needs to be in a very high wind location such as on ridges and mountains. The UK has the best wind resource in Europe, and the resource that is referred to here is the constant and steady wind that sweeps over the whole country. Modern turbine technology also allows today’s wind turbine to be situated in lowland areas while still being able to effectively harness the winds energy.
This site has been modelled in detail using wind data from two met masts in the vicinity and long term wind measurement data from the met office, and all the results indicate that this site is windy enough.
There will be disruption to the traffic and farmers in the area as the roads are being modified.
Any modifications to the roads will be done through close consultation with local highways authority, all access to properties will be maintained and farmers will be consulted to ensure they can continue they’re farming activities.
There will be a reduction in milk production from cattle grazing near the turbines
A large number of rural wind farms in this country have cattle grazing right underneath the turbines, and there has been no evidence to suggest that there is any impact on milk production or the general well being of the cattle.
The wildlife (birds, bats etc) will be adversely affected
The site has had extensive ecological surveys carried out by independent consultants to determine the levels of wildlife present on the site. Surveying requirements and methodologies have been carried out in consultation with Natural England and in line with best practice, and the turbines have been sited to minimise any adverse ecological effects.
The full results of the ecological study will be submitted with the planning application, and therefore will be available for public viewing.
More energy is used constructing the turbines than is output during their lifetime
The average UK wind farm will pay back the energy used in its manufacture within six to eight months (Comparison of Energy Systems Using Life Cycle Assessment – 2004) which is a similar amount of time to conventional power stations such as coal or gas – however unlike fossil fuel stations, wind power does not continue to pollute the atmosphere with CO2 whilst producing energy, nor does it leave a site with significant contamination or waste to deal with by future generations as with nuclear energy.
Horses are affected by wind turbines
There is no evidence to suggest that there are any adverse effects on horses, and in fact we are aware of many reports of horses being ridden underneath the turbines without any problems. The first wind farm in England at Delabole Cornwall, was developed on a stud farm and there have been no adverse effects on horses from these wind turbines.
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