Campaigners prepare for wind farm inquiry
Northumberland Gazette|May 6, 2009
Andrew Joicey, who is involved with all three groups, said: "The planning system is supposed to protect communities against development proposals where benefits are shown to be outweighed by other adverse effects. "Make no mistake however, if even one of these wind farms is approved and built, people will be truly shocked when they see the result. The problem is, it is very hard for many people to visualise the scale of either the individual, or the cumulative impact."
Andrew Joicey, who is involved with all three groups, said: "The planning system is supposed to protect communities against development proposals where benefits are shown to be outweighed by other adverse effects. "Make no mistake however, if even one of these wind farms is approved and built, people will be truly shocked when they see the result. The problem is, it is very hard for many people to visualise the scale of either the individual, or the cumulative impact."
People are being urged to attend a public inquiry into the siting of three wind farms in north Northumberland.
Campaigners fighting the proposals are appealing for people to go to the inquiry and show the level of local concern.
The sites for the proposed wind farms are at Barmoor, between Barmoor Castle Holiday Park and Ford Moss Nature Reserve; Moorsyde, close to the Plough Inn at Allerdean; and Toft Hill, between the Salutation Inn and River Till and close to the Duddo stone circle.
Originally refused planning permission in March last year by Berwick Borough Council, all three sites are now subject to appeal by their developers.
The inquiry starts on Wednesday at The Maltings in Berwick and is scheduled to last for five weeks.
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]People are being urged to attend a public inquiry into the siting of three wind farms in north Northumberland.
Campaigners fighting the proposals are appealing for people to go to the inquiry and show the level of local concern.
The sites for the proposed wind farms are at Barmoor, between Barmoor Castle Holiday Park and Ford Moss Nature Reserve; Moorsyde, close to the Plough Inn at Allerdean; and Toft Hill, between the Salutation Inn and River Till and close to the Duddo stone circle.
Originally refused planning permission in March last year by Berwick Borough Council, all three sites are now subject to appeal by their developers.
The inquiry starts on Wednesday at The Maltings in Berwick and is scheduled to last for five weeks.
Campaigners from three groups fighting the proposals - SOUL (Save Our Unspoilt Landscape), MAG (Moorsyde Action Group and ISORES (Inappropriate Siting of Renewable Energy Structures) - are hoping people will go along and have their say at a special public day on May 27.
Anyone interested can turn up by 9.30am and make themselves known to the programme officer. For those unable to attend, any concerns will be accepted in writing up until June 2.
Campaigners say that although the area proposed for the wind farms is rural, it is populated by residential and business communities that could suffer considerable negative consequences from the visual impact and noise of the turbines.
They say the turbine blades will be clearly visible from roads and paths frequented by locals and tourists within a wide area. Sites of historic interest such as Duddo would be dwarfed.
More than 1,000 people have written to protest about the proposals to the former Berwick Borough Council and more than 150 locals attended a pre-inquiry meeting.
Andrew Joicey, who is involved with all three groups, said: "The planning system is supposed to protect communities against development proposals where benefits are shown to be outweighed by other adverse effects.
"Make no mistake however, if even one of these wind farms is approved and built, people will be truly shocked when they see the result. The problem is, it is very hard for many people to visualise the scale of either the individual, or the cumulative impact."