Extracts from NATTA's journal
Renew, issue 145Sept-Oct 2003

10. Getting the Wind up

The Council for the Protection of Rural England NE region hosted a conference last Sept. in Newcastle on windpower, which provided some interesting insight into the ongoing debate on the acceptability or otherwise of wind farms. There were certainly some divergent views- as related in the report that has now been produced.

Geoffrey Sinclair, of Environmental Information Services, argued that some NFFO supported projects in the NE were encroaching on AONB’s and National parks and that ‘in such circumstances, there is pride in being NIMBY’. Certainly, he felt, the early emphasis on contentious sites had polarised and soured public opinion, but that the approach advocated by the Countryside Agency, of focussing on small scale and brownfield wind farms first, had merits. But against that, Adrian Smith from TNEI pointed out that small community schemes could not compete with the commercial requirements for selling power on the grid. So, at least under NETA, that was a receipe for marginalising wind.

Sandra Painter, from AMEC Wind, put the developers view- prevarications and delays were slowing development and the UK was lagging far behind the rest of Europe. Although there were some who still saw the situation in confrontational terms, or wanted to revisit old battles, there was also an attempt, as CPRE Chair Paul Roberts put it, to ‘bury the hatchet’.

Geoffrey Sinclair noted that persistence of objectors has led to a dramatic improvement in the quality of EIA and Elizabeth Mann, founder member of the Barningham High Moor Conservation Group, who fought a spirited campaign against the 25 turbines planned there, commented that she was not anti wind but rather against where they were being put- she wanted to protect the non-renewable landscape. Nic Best from the CPRE concluded by suggesting, hopefully, that the Renewables Obligation might help since it makes lower yield less windy sites economically viable. And as other technologies matured, there might be less pressure for on land wind. Meanwhile we needed more community schemes (which REALL is pushing well locally) and more local involvement in the planning process.

* The CPRE report ‘Getting the Wind Up’ contains a lot of useful background information, along with some anti-wind invective. Contact paulroberts@freeuk.com

Urban Windpower

Urban wind power seems to be catching on. As noted in Renew142, Ford are installing three 1.8MW turbines on its Dagenham site. There’s also a £3.5m proposal for using three 1.5MW turbines to provide power for the Michelin plant in Dundee. And Norwich council has agreed in principle to the siting of a wind turbine near the city's livestock market, possibly on the site of a former abattoir site, subject to planning approval. Council leader Ian Couzens said: "Members are very keen that Norwich play its part in producing renewable energy from sources and the wind turbine is an excellent project. We would obviously like to see wind power playing its part in the general area of Norwich but there are sensibilities to be considered when siting them close to property."

Norfolk Now said the project had originally be discussed in June last year, adding that ‘at the time, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) wrote to airfields within 30km of Hall Road, including Norwich International. They warned that a wind turbine could be sited in the area and they should be aware of possible re-radiation of radar.’

Norfolk Now commented that the 1.5MW turbine at Swaffham ‘has been a source of much debate. Some believe it is an eyesore that should not have been allowed, with concerns over the effect the turbine has on views of Swaffham’s historic 18th century monument, the Buttercross, which stands in its market square.’