A planning debate on a new Wind Turbine near Garstang has been on-going for nearly 2 years and it appears that the turbine is to be built after the local council was over-ridden by the Planning Inspectorate.
This is an interesting microcosm of a national debate where it is said that over half of the planned ‘green’ energy turbines are being blocked by local opposition. The old debate about national need v local inconvenience.
The single turbine near Garstang is about 500 metres from the nearest house and has a mast 80m (250ft) high and turbines that extend to 120m (400ft) high. It will generate up to 1MW of power for the Dewlay Cheese Factory on windy days.
It is said that around 300 letters objecting to the proposal have been written with a variety of reasons including the risk of car crashes caused by distracted drivers. It is little surprise that the local council should reject the plan as they havn’t much to gain by letting it through unless Dewlay made the unlikely decision to shut shop.
As a citizen of the UK is it right that remote windmills inconveniencing very few people a little bit should be blocked. What alternative power sources are the blockers proposing. A nuclear power station on someone elses doorstep or a barrage across Morecambe Bay? I pass Dewlay a few times a year and it appears to be quite isolated. When I get out of my car either in Garstang or Scorton I’m met by noise from the motorway that really does cause irritation. There are a couple of lines of pylons in the Garstang area as well.
It’s a bit like the on-going war between Cantaxx and the locals about storing gas underground in Wyre. I have a lot of sympathy with locals about the risks involved but also noted that the government said the UK has the lowest amount of gas storage in Europe and is therefore vulnerable to shortages. Once again local opposition is a factor.
Where safety is a factor there must be restrictions but if a few people can see and even fewer hear a single turbine in the distance as well as some pylons and a motorway should we have sympathy.
As a final test I looked out of our window and there is a small hill over roofs about 500yds away. I think it would be enhanced by an impressive 400ft high wind turbine. Although I don’t believe in carte blanche situation of windmills. Shame they aren’t like the old windmills which brings on another stream of mixed thoughts.