 |
|
Whinash
proposal under threat
20 April
2005
Greenpeace
and Friends of the Earth have joined forces to pledge their support
for a proposed wind farm at Whinash in the Lake District. A planning
inquiry into the scheme, which could power 47,000 local homes,
began on Tuesday 19th April at Penrith in Cumbria.
Opponents of the scheme argue that it will ruin an area of natural
beauty, but as The Independent newspaper pointed out in its
editorial of 19th April:
"There are many areas of great natural beauty in Britain where it
would be sacreligeous to build a wind farm. But the Whinash site
between the Lakes and the Yorkshire Dales, running for four miles
overlooking the M6, hardly qualifies."
Jim Footner
of Greenpeace said: "Climate change is the greatest threat our planet
faces, already killing over 150,000 people every year and putting
1 in 3 of our land based species at risk from extinction. Clean
energy alternatives such as the Whinash wind farm are crucial if
we are to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Contrary to
what some people believe the biggest threat to the British landscape
is climate change not the visual impacts of wind turbines. Wind
farms like that proposed for Whinash are part of the solution."
Jill Perry, energy campaigner for Friends of the Earth said: "I'm
amazed that people are claiming that the area should be designated
a National Park. What kind of National Park has a motorway running
through it? People need to wake up to the fact that climate change
will happen and it's not good enough to pretend that we can sit
back for the next few years thinking about the solutions."
Campaigners from South Lakeland Friends of the Earth have submitted
evidence in support of the proposed Whinash wind farm to the public
inquiry, which will start on Tuesday 19 April 2005. The inquiry is
expected to be pivotal for the future of wind farms in rural areas,
weighing the visual impact of the turbines against the benefits of
tackling climate change by producing significant amounts of renewable
energy. Neither RSPB or English Nature are objecting to the proposal.
South Lakeland Friends of the Earth collected more than seven hundred
letters from local people in support of the wind farm and sent these on
to the Department of Trade and Industry and to the Public Inquiry
Office. One resident of Tebay wrote that they felt unable to speak out
publicly in support of the development because of the vitriolic nature
of the campaign against the wind farm. The inquiry, which is expected to
last five weeks, will take place at the Shap Wells Hotel, near Penrith,
Cumbria.
Environmental campaigners will ask the Government Inspector to
disregard claims made by the opponents of the scheme, ruled as
'misleading' by the Advertising Standards Authority, about damage
to house prices and the tourist industry in the Lake District.
Opponents of the scheme, which would be sited beside the M6 motorway,
have claimed that the wind turbines will spoil the views, failing
to acknowledge that the presence of a motorway has degraded the
landscape visually and by generating noise and air pollution.
Anita Stirzaker, a local business woman said: "I have rented out
holiday accommodation for a number of years and I'm totally in
favour of the scheme. Many of the people who come to the Lake
District are walkers and outdoors types who are interested in
green lifestyles - they're not going to be put off by wind turbines.
It's ridiculous to suggest that they will. There's a plenty of
misinformation from those who oppose the wind farm, but we haven't
heard any real evidence to back up these claims.
A Carlisle resident, who supported South Lakeland Friends of the
Earth's campaign, told Margaret Sanders: "It's about time something
was done to tackle climate change. I am still waiting to return
to my house after the January floods. I can't believe people are
objecting to this, when we're faced with the prospect of more
severe weather in the future. It's unbelievably short-sighted."
Evidence submitted by Friends of the Earth includes:
- The site is between 1km and 5km from the M6, which can be
seen and heard from much of the site. It lies between the Yorkshire
Dales and the Lake District National Park, but is not itself
a designated area. Motorways have been found to have a larger
footprint than previously thought and affect wildlife for a
large area.
- Opponents have used photomontages showing 41 turbines much
taller than those planned and continued to use them long after
the proposed number of turbines was reduced.
- Cumbria is one of the windiest counties in England, but as
it has many designated areas, the sites available for building
land based wind farms are limited. Whinash offers a great opportunity
for the production of renewable energy and would make a significant
contribution to county, regional and national targets.
- The latest evidence from climate scientists including those
at the recent Hadley Centre conference and the American Association
for the Advancement of Science annual meeting, show that there
is a compelling need to take every reasonable opportunity to
build wind farms.
- The reduction of emissions will lessen the chances of damage
to the landscape and biodiversity that the UK Climate Impacts
Programme warns will be among the most severe effects in Cumbria.
This damage would be random, permanent and more dangerous with
impacts most likely within the National Parks.
- Flooding is also among the impacts, but the severity and extent
of the floods in Carlisle in January took everyone by surprise.
It caused great personal suffering and 2 deaths, as well as
enormous economic loss.
- To make the necessary impact on climate change will require
action across the planet, but as we have a mere decade to avoid
the worst impacts, it is essential that this wind farm is built.
|
Back
|
|
