South West: Wind power v people power

Are the giant wind turbines a boon or a blot?

The latest clashes between wind power and people power have come to a head in the South West, where plans for two wind farms have reached the final hurdle.

Reporter Mike Fennell discovered that there had been plenty of hot air expended in the debate ever since Britain's first wind farm was established in Cornwall at Delabole in 1991.

The giant turbines are regarded by some as majestic modern monoliths providing a clean source of renewable energy.

But others see them as a blot on the landscape, casting a giant shadow over the countryside.

Committed

The ancient landscape of Goonhilly Downs on the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall has long been dominated by huge communications satellite dishes.

But since 1993 the vista also includes fourteen of the huge wind turbines. The wind farm represents one of seven now established in Cornwall.

While Cornwall has seen more than a hundred turbines established, counties like Devon, Dorset and Somerset have yet to see a single wind farm approved by planners.

Yet the South West is committed to producing at least a tenth of its energy needs from renewable sources by the year 2010 - and wind power is seen as a key element in that strategy.

Future plans

Powergen Renewables are now backing a project to build a new wind farm at Otterham near Camelford.

Local landowner and co-developer, John Harding, says the five turbines would generate enough electricity to power 3,000 homes - the equivalent of a town the size of Launceston.

John says, "I believe in the scheme. I believe in the concept of wind power. To me it just seems to be so logical, it's a natural resource, it's clean, why don't we harness it?"

Opposition

But the site is adjacent to a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and protesters claim the turbines, which would be more than seventy metres high, would dominate the landscape.

Local residents believe their properties will be devalued. And the anti-wind farm lobby believes that the power output would be insignificant in the scheme of things.

Alan Nunn of the campaign group, Country Guardian, says across the country more than seventy wind farms provide less than one per cent of the nation's energy needs.

Alan says, "It takes 12 megawatts to run one EuroStar train from London to Paris - you need three wind farms the size of the original one at Delabole to run this one train."

"It is totally ridiculous."

Action halted

North Cornwall district council's planning committee had agreed to the development by just one vote but the full council disagreed and threw out the application.

John Harding and Powergen Renewables are considering an appeal.

Meanwhile in Devon the plan for three turbines on a windy hillside near Darracott Reservoir was also rejected this week by councillors in Torridge. The developers have already indicated they will appeal.

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