Lives will be affected
The Courier|David R. D. C. Smith. Clocksbriggs, Forfar. |June 20, 2006
....there is one thing of which there can be no doubt—the building of a wind farm in the vicinity of people’s homes can have a truly monumental impact on the lives of those people.
....there is one thing of which there can be no doubt—the building of a wind farm in the vicinity of people’s homes can have a truly monumental impact on the lives of those people.
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Angus Council meeting in the Reid Hall and listen to the submissions from the floor and the councillors’ debate on the application to build eight wind turbines on Ark Hill.
It was a mammoth meeting, as befitted the subject matter, but after it ended, at about midnight, I left with one particular abiding thought. Whether or not these massive pieces of machinery have an unattractive visual impact; whether or not the wildlife whose habitats are destroyed are important; whether or not the noise the turbines make is annoying; whether or not tourists will be attracted or repelled by them; there is one thing of which there can be no doubt—the building of a wind farm in the vicinity of people’s …
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Angus Council meeting in the Reid Hall and listen to the submissions from the floor and the councillors’ debate on the application to build eight wind turbines on Ark Hill.
It was a mammoth meeting, as befitted the subject matter, but after it ended, at about midnight, I left with one particular abiding thought. Whether or not these massive pieces of machinery have an unattractive visual impact; whether or not the wildlife whose habitats are destroyed are important; whether or not the noise the turbines make is annoying; whether or not tourists will be attracted or repelled by them; there is one thing of which there can be no doubt—the building of a wind farm in the vicinity of people’s homes can have a truly monumental impact on the lives of those people.
It is easy enough to scream ‘nimby’ when people describe the effect on their lives a wind farm in their ‘back yard’ will have, or when a council decides to turn down an application to develop a wind farm in their region, as it is also easy enough to agree the need to do all we can to reduce global warming. But I know exactly how I would feel if the moorland or forest outside my kitchen window became an industrial site.
The landlord, happily well removed from all the disturbance, will have a nice rent to keep him happy. What will those over whom the turbines tower, whose livelihoods and lives are blighted, have to show for it? Not a lot I fear.