Wind

One of the biggest local issues is the proposed wind farms near Belford.

One application is already in – for 9 large turbines at Belford Burn. The site is so unsuitable that I find it hard to believe it is a serious proposal. But it is: a lot of work has gone into it; the application is over 1,000 pages long involving various consultants’ reports. The planning team is currently collating responses and comments.

All planning decisions involve the application of central Government policies. Where they are contentious there are three main parties who have to apply them: the planning officers at the Council, who will make a recommendation; the planning committee, who will make the decision; and potentially the planning inspectors if a rejected application is appealed. Any opposition (or support) needs to be focused on the decision points.

The Government has issued new guidance to clarify the importance of different factors, and in particular to emphasise the importance of landscape and environmental factors – very important in this case. It also notes the importance of local feeling and increases the size of the benefit which is given to the community.

When I stood for election there was a very strong feeling against the wind farms. It’s not clear yet whether the extra detail in the final applications and the size of the community benefit will make a difference to people’s view. I suspect they won’t. I hope there will be a public meeting to present the application and the decision making process and to assess the public’s opinion.

The community benefit in particular can be falsely attractive. Although it is a lot of money – suggested at £100K per year – it would be spread widely. And if you think about it the amount is roughly the same as one five bed holiday home would bring into the community. It’s just not that big in the scheme of things. And given the risk to tourism from wind farms of excessive scale, that’s a very relevant comparison.

There is an organised group of objectors – the Middleton Burn Action Group. They held a demonstration last weekend. I went on it first to show support and second because I do believe this application is wrong; whatever the benefits of wind energy it cannot be right to build a wind farm in this location, in the heart of one of the most beautiful areas of the country. I expect this will be a first demonstration given the need to highlight the problems with the application especially as we get closer to the planning committee’s decision.

At the same time we protested, so did others, in Balcombe, against fracking.

The difference in attitudes concerning wind farms and fracking intrigues me.  It typifies the point that people in general are moved by emotion, not fact, and that whether they support or reject something largely depends the attitudes of others. If someone you don’t like takes one view, there’s a strong inclination to take the opposite view irrespective of the facts. Sad but true.

Wind farms: destructive of the environment; substantial carbon cost of construction; ineffective in generating substantial amounts of energy; dangerous for flying creatures; increase energy poverty. Yet generally supported by the green movement.

Fracking: light touch on the ground; easily decommissioned; transformed the US’s energy production and cost because of the volume available; reduces the cost of energy for consumers. Yet bitterly opposed by the green movement.