THE recent four-page supplement from npower concerning its proposed development at Kiln Pit Hill can only be described as an example of pro-windfarm propaganda.

There was no mention of the problems associated with wind power.

Indeed npower misled readers of the Hexham Courant by describing local residents’ response to its public exhibition as a “groundswell of positive opinion.”

Around 90 per cent of the people who attended their exhibition signed a petition which opposed the wind turbine proposals.

Clearly to have a meaningful debate, npower must consider and report the truth.

For clarity, npower has been formally invited on a number of occasions to attend local meetings to debate wind power.

To date, it has declined to attend on every occasion it has been asked.

Joanna Thompson, from npower, states that Kiln Pit Hill has been identified by independent experts as particularly suitable for wind development.

If this means is it windy at Kiln Pit Hill then the answer is yes. This is a characteristic of most of the open countryside in Northumberland.

What npower does not tell you is that the site lies in an area of high landscape value and therefore has a very sensitive context; indeed there is a grade one listed building within a stone’s throw of the site.

The suitability and sensitivity of any site for wind turbines are required to be tested locally as outlined in the draft Regional Spatial Strategy which identifies the area around Kiln Pit Hill as an area of least constraint.

It is my contention that Joanna Thompson appears to be unfamiliar with the site and its sensitive context.