Weston Turbines – Say No

It’s hard to imagine how big the proposed Weston wind farm wind turbines. How high are the 125 metre wind turbines proposed for Weston? Well as our picture shows they 18 times bigger than the average two storey house. They are 6 times bigger than the Weston water tower, apart from the church, the biggest and most visible landmark in Weston. They are bigger than London landmarks like Nelsons Column and Big Ben. In fact they are almost as tall as the massive London Eye. Click on the image to see its full detail.

Have you ever played the game with your children of who was first to see the water tower when driving in to Weston? If you have sharp eyes you can see it as you cross the bridge over the Baldock bypass. Think from how many miles away these proposed turbines will be visible! They are massively out of proportion to the rest of our rural landscape and will dominate the landscape for miles around.

UPDATE:  A write up of this well attended meeting can be read by clicking here

Here’s the poster for our meeting on 15th November. Please come along to Weston Village Hall to hear Oliver Heald MP and other speakers discuss the impact the Weston Wind Farm could have one our lives. We will also have people on hand if you want any help writing your objection letter to the North Herts District Council. All objections MUST be in by December 1st 2008.

Wind Turbine Meeting Poster, click here to download

People report that noise as their main problem with wind turbines.   A report was produced in 1996 by the Noise Assocation which among several conclusions recommended that Wind Farms should be sited at least a mile away from inhabited properties.  (download and read the full report) That leaves much of Weston and South Baldock with a problem as people living there will be closer than a mile, some properties much much closer.

People have been driven from their homes by the whump, whump, whump sound made by the huge blades of large wind turbines.

“Peace and quiet is the single most important factor people have in
mind when buying a home – with one in five prospective homebuyers
rating it as the most important consideration when choosing where
they will buy.” Alliance and Leicester Survey, 3/6/02

The experience of Jane Davis and her family from Deeping St Nicholas, who live 930m from an eight turbine wind farm, makes worrying reading. As soon as this wind farm became operational in 2007 they started experiencing noise problems which reached such a state that they have had to find an alternative “sleeping house” 5 miles away in order to get an uninterrupted night’s sleep.   Sadly their experience is not unique, but people only realise how big a problem noise can be after the wind farms are operational.

A book “Wind Turbine Syndrome” by Nina Pierpont is shortly to be published analysing the medical effects of living near wind turbines on human beings. In her preface to the book she recommends (as the result of research by herself and others) the following minimum distances (she calls them setbacks) between wind turbines and residences. “Two kilometers, or 1.24 miles, remains the baseline, shortest setback from residences (and hospitals, schools, nursing homes, etc.) that communities should consider.”

Concern over the planning application to erect three huge wind turbines just outside Baldock, outlined in the Comet article (23 October), has provoked such interest that the action group WARD (Weston Against Rural Destruction) is planning a meeting to enable the public to learn more about issues raised by objectors to the proposals. The meeting will be held at Weston Village Hall on Saturday 15th November from 10:30 am.
“The size of response to our email address, westonturbines@yahoo.co.uk, suggests that there are many residents of Baldock and Letchworth and even as far a field as Stevenage and Royston, who had no idea that these plans were afoot. Public ignorance on the matter is alarming!” said a WARD spokes person.
In order to provide an insight into the detrimental effects that a wind farm on this landscape conservation area would have on Weston Hills, the surrounding towns, villages, and the population, WARD will be hosting a meeting to air some of the topics and create greater awareness of the proposals. “The intention is not to colour people’s judgement – but they need to know the facts and have their say to NHDC before it is too late. The Council’s closing date for written comments is at the end of November – this is a very important decision.” WARD says.
Asked about The Comet web poll which revealed that the vast majority of people locally would not want a wind farm near their home, WARD say, “We are all in favour of renewable energy, but there is a right place for everything – and this is totally the wrong site. We hope the meeting will generate an understanding of the implications if the Weston Hills development went ahead.”
Speakers at the meeting will include Oliver Heald MP, who spoke in the House of Commons in June, firmly expressing his opposition to the increasing number of planning applications to build wind farms across this region.

Oliver visited the proposed site this week and said, “The visual impact of these wind turbines on this precious landscape would be extremely detrimental in environmental terms. The skyline of Weston Hills was protected at great cost with a tunnel when the Baldock by-pass was built, because this end of the Chiltern Hills is so important in landscape terms. There are not even pylons on this ridge. Hertfordshire is one of the most heavily populated counties and many people take great pleasure in using footpaths and bridleways that border the proposed site.”
People throughout the UK who currently live near wind farms have their own experience of what it is like. A speaker – Jane Davis will give her views – Jane Davis and her husband have recently submitted a Report to the Select Committee on Economic Affairs of the House of Lords on the Economics of Renewable Energy.
Public interest in the work of WARD has led the organisation to create a new website, www.westonturbines.org.uk. This gives details of the meeting to be held at Weston Village Hall on Saturday 15th November from 10:30 Entrance is free, those wishing to attend are asked to register by email: westonturbines@yahoo.co.uk or phone 0793 4432084, leaving a contact telephone number.

YouTube has all sorts of interesting videos about wind turbines. Here are a couple of selected highlights.

The first link is to the famous out of control Vestas Wind Turbine in Denmark. It eventually fails in a spectacular way, fortunately no one was injured.

This link demonstrates that wind turbines do generate noise. This one was filmed in Aberdeenshire

If you want to find more just go to YouTube and search for Wind Farms.

Following the first applicationfor a Wind Farm in 2006 by the developer, Weston Park Farms, the Weston Wind Turbine Group sought to produce an objective report detailing matters which would affect the community should this application be approved. The report was published in December 2006 when the developer withdrew the application.

As people are becoming belatedly aware, a revised application will soon be considered by NHDC. In 2006 The Working Group highlighted a number of issues which had the potential seriously to affect the village of Weston and the surrounding areas. This revised application has in no way alleviated those concerns as a result of which an action group Weston Against Rural Destruction (WARD) was formed.

The detailed and very thorough report can be downloaded as a pdf by clicking here

An informal group called WARD (Weston Against Rural Destruction) has formed to provide a focus for opposition to the proposed Weston Wind Farm. Most people don’t want to be NIMBies when it comes to wind farms and so that may just think they will not affect them. Most of the WARD group originally felt that way until they saw the size of the proposed turbines and read some of the research about onshore wind farms. As one Weston resident has said “BEING PRO WIND POWER HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT……, WRONG SIZE, WRONG PLACE. END OF CONVERSATION!”

This is a short background document about the Weston Wind Farm click to download this Word document

Sadly we have very little time to review the proposal as any objections to the proposed development must be sent in by 1st December 2008. WARD has put together a short guide to help you write an objection letter which you can download from here

We have a small poster than you can print out and use if you would to demonstrate visually your objection to the Weston Wind farm.

It looks like this

Click here to download a pdf version of the poster you can print out

Incensed at local land owners’ plans to erect three huge wind turbines on Weston Hills near to the new Baldock by-pass, villagers have formed an action group to fight the project.  Weston Against Rural Destruction (WARD) firmly believe that if this proposal goes ahead, it will open the floodgates for other enterprising farmers and land owners to set up any number of wind farms to dominate the countryside around Baldock, Letchworth and surrounding villages.

 

“We have already displayed posters and delivered fliers to our local community – but there is a much wider issue here.  Other sites near our towns and villages have also been identified as suitable for further wind turbine development – if NHDC approves this first wind farm, it will set a precedent for others to follow and destroy the landscape of much of North Herts.  Our concern is that people outside Weston are not fully in the picture – they need to have their say too!”   said a spokesperson for WARD.  

This is the second time Weston Park Farms has submitted its Planning Application to build on this Green Belt site, fuelling very real anxieties.  Set on high ground over Weston Hills, the three proposed wind turbines are giants.  Reaching a towering 125 metres, each of these massive high-rise structures is equivalent to almost two-and-a- half times the height of Nelson’s Column!  In addition, a 52.5 metre wind speed mast is also planned.  These monsters will dominate the view from many homes in Clothall Common, Clothall, Weston, Baldock and Letchworth and will be easily visible on the skyline from much of North Herts and Bedfordshire. 

NHDC has not allowed much time for objections – these have to be submitted in writing by 1^st December.  “This is a very short space of time to create awareness and support for our campaign to protect our stunning rural landscape.  Residents in all local towns and villages need to make their feelings very clear right now, or it is going to be too late and the heritage of our beautiful countryside will be destroyed for ever.^”   explains WARD.

“We are all for renewable energy – but there is evidence of problems when wind farms are sited as near to dwellings as this will be.  Noise is a real issue – in France the Government’s medical advisers have recommended that wind turbines must not be erected this close to towns and villages because of the danger to health from noise and vibrations.  In this country it is well reported that, even in homes some considerable distance away, the irritating thudding sound, day and night, has ‘wrecked people’s lives’.  People who suffer this noise nuisance have found it impossible to sell their homes!”  Property values in our own area are also in danger of falling.

Another problem with wind turbines so near to towns is that they interfere with TV reception.  The developers indicate that the BBC calculates a staggering 4,000-plus homes in the area will be affected. 

People will remember the care Herts County Council took when building the Baldock bypass to ensure that the character of the landscape on Weston Hills was preserved.  Millions of pounds were spent taking the road through a cutting and tunnel.  ‘Bunds’ planted with trees and shrubs were constructed to minimise noise and a there is a quiet road surface.  All this expenditure will be for nothing if this Green Belt countryside they took such care to preserve, and which is enjoyed by so many, is blighted with wind turbines.

Weston Against Rural Destruction is calling for people in neighbouring towns and villages to support this cause by expressing their views to in writing to Richard Tiffin, Planning Department, NHDC Council Offices, Gernon Road, Letchworth, Herts SG6 3JF quoting Planning Application No. 08/00047/1.  Copies of the Planning Application can be viewed at the above office between 9am and 4.30pm Monday to Friday.  It is also available on www.north-herts.gov.uk/planning.   To submit your views on line you must quote 143205 370665 255.  The deadline for objections is 1^st December. 

The group would welcome anybody willing to display “Say No to Weston Wind Turbines” posters, deliver leaflets, or help through active involvement.  Contact details – email westonturbines@yahoo.co.uk  or phone 0793 4432084.  

October 2008