Letter to North Devon Gazette
February 1st 2012
Dear Sirs,
A common misconception regarding the 'Atlantic Array'
Wind Farm is that the turbines will not be visible. This
is not so. The Fullabrook wind turbines are 110 metres
high and can easily be seen from Yes Tor on Dartmoor
which is some 32 miles away from Fullabrook. There is
photographic evidence on the internet to prove this. The
turbines that RWE wish to site in the Bristol Channel,
covering an area equal to the Isle of Wight, are 220
metres high. They will be only 8.8 miles from Mortehoe
and Baggy Point. Obviously this equates to 4 times
closer and twice as high as those easily visible from
Dartmoor. Can people really believe that they will not
notice this vast array of turbines? RWE have
photomontages on their site but strangely they do not
have one taken from Mortehoe even though they were able
to show this at their consultations. The only
photomontage on their site within this area is from
Putsborough which will be 11 miles from the turbines.
This photomontage is misleading in that 50% of the photo
consists of the actual beach which obviously gives the
illusion of the turbines being further away than they
would actually be.
Wind farms do not make economic sense.
Onshore wind farms shared £25 million last
year to shut down as it was too windy! The
payments to stop operating are made by National
Grid because it cannot cope with the amount of
power being fed on to the system when it is very
windy. We
are all well aware how the wind blows across the ocean
into the Bristol Channel so just how often would these
machines even be operating? The consumer pays this
compensation through their energy bills. It is estimated
that soon the additional annual cost of renewable energy per customer
will be £280.
I realise that there are some people who find these
machines 'aesthectically pleasing'. However, they are in
the minority and I do not believe that the tourists who
come to this area of outstanding natural beauty will
find 417 turbines offshore, as well as the ever growing
amount onshore, aesthetically pleasing enough to bother
to return. Lundy Island, North Devon and South Wales
rely heavily on tourism and cannot afford to lose this
source of income. People come here from towns and cities
to escape from monstrous structures, not to admire them.
Please also remember that as
well as the effect on tourism the fishing industry will
be decimated as well. This will all have a knock on
effect regarding the local workforce and economy.
Add to this the devastation caused to the wildlife and
marine life both on and offshore plus the noise and
havoc caused during construction and it is
difficult to find even one good reason to build the wind
farm - unless one has shares in RWE of course.
The photo taken from Dartmoor showing Fullabrook can be
accessed via www.atlanticarray.co.uk.
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