Will I Be Affected?

The response of many people when a wind farm proposal comes to their neighbourhood is "well we won’t be affected". If only that were true! Unfortunately because the proposed turbines to be sited in the Yeo Valley adjacent to Sedborough Farm are so big - 67metres high to the hub and with blades 80 metres in diameter - their impact will be spread over a huge area. 1 As the crow flies, Parkham is only 1 ½ kilometres (under 1 mile) from the proposed turbines.

Visual Impact.
Visually the turbines would have a significant impact up to a distance of 10km. This doesn’t mean that you will just be able to see them but they will alter the view. In other words for a huge area these turbines will be a significant alien presence in the countryside. With rotating blades they will be much more visually intrusive than static objects such as the local pylons or grain silos. There is nothing that can be done to mitigate their impact: they are just too big. Farmers are asked to plant trees to hide buildings but these structures are completely out of scale with any other feature in the landscape. So local residents going about their day to day business will have these turbines as a constantly revolving background to everything they do, whether enjoying a quiet evening in their gardens or taking a stroll in the countryside.

TV Reception.
Analogue T.V reception will be degraded for up to 5km where the turbines are between the aerial and the transmitter. So given that Huntshaw is the normal transmitter then it is possible that the surrounding area around the turbine will be affected. If your aerial is pointing towards the turbines then you will be affected.

Nature conservation and the ecology.
The Yeo Valley is a beautiful rural environment with several foot paths within sight of the proposed turbines. Contrary to the Sedborough wind turbine analyst's report  1 that the area is "of little ecological value," the valley supports a rich diversity of wild life and is a stone's throw from an area of outstanding natural beauty. There are many species of trees, hedges and wild life such as bats and badgers all at risk from the wind turbine development.

Noise
Noise will be an issue and the problem is that until the wind farm is operational no one can be sure precisely how far the impact will reach. We can only learn from the experiences of people who live near to wind turbines. Approximately 10% of wind farms create problems for nearby dwellings that are sufficiently severe that those residents are no longer able to enjoy the amenity of their own home. We classify "nearby" as within 2 km or 1 ½ miles of the wind turbines. People have different sensitivities to noise so what is perfectly acceptable to one person will ruin someone else’s quality of life. The problem of noise is particularly acute in rural areas where there is very little back ground noise. 2
The type of noise emitted is a low frequency infrasound that can cause vibro-acoustic disease (VAD), headaches, migraines, nausea, dizziness, tinnitus, insomnia, anxiety and depression. 3

Local economy.
Many of the properties around the proposed site generate an income through holiday lets. The wind turbine development would affect the likelihood of tourists wishing to visit the area. A survey by the Small Business Commission (SBC) states the wind turbines would impact the economy of the rural communities; 11% of holiday makers said they would not return to North Devon as a holiday destination if wind turbines were built here. 72% of visitors surveyed chose to have a holiday in North Devon because of the landscape and countryside. 4

House Prices
A survey of the members of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors showed that 60% said that there was a negative impact on house prices. If there is no effect then why did a judge award a purchaser of a house where the sellers did not mention a forthcoming wind farm 20% of their money back? Houses are not likely to sell while the threat of the wind farm is hanging over the village. Given that it can take 2 years for a planning application to progress through the planning process and an appeal, if you have to move house in that period you are likely to struggle. It is common sense that if you have a choice of living in a village with a wind farm nearby or one without then most people will opt for the latter especially if they get no benefit themselves from the electricity generated.]. 5
Time Scale.
Developers claim that wind farms are temporary since they will be removed after 25 years. Putting aside the issue those 25 years is a generation for many people and there is no guarantee that at the end of the 25 years there will not be another planning application to replace the existing turbines with new ones. This is already happening in Cornwall with the Delabole wind farm and surprise, surprise the new turbines are bigger!

Further Development
One of the most worrying aspects of wind farm applications is that once they are granted there is a very real prospect of the surrounding area becoming a wind farm "alley". The Burton Wold Wind Farm at Kettering had only been operational for a year when there was a proposal to increase the number of turbines from 10 to 17. At Swaffham, a town that was very proud of its two turbines, now has an eight turbine wind farm built in a neighbouring village and a further six turbines proposed. There is now a realisation that by being supportive in the first place there is a danger of being surrounded by wind turbines. 5 This is logical in that developers are finding it difficult to gain permission in new locations largely due to landscape impacts. However, once the landscape character is degraded by the first wind farm then it is much easier to get permission for subsequent schemes. There is a very real danger that either an extension of this scheme or other schemes within view may well come forward post approval. If you put yourself in the shoes of the neighbouring landowners then they will be experiencing the impacts of the wind farm at close quarters without any benefits. It would seem logical for them to look to benefit from the large rents available to landowners from wind farm developers.

The wind farm will have impacts on a large number of people not just in the immediate area.
If you are in Parkham, Woolsery, Clovelly or Bucks Cross the wind farm will affect you.

So make sure you do not get yourself in the position of saying - if only I had known.

References:
1 ADAS presentation to PPC 27-11-08.
2 Submission of evidence for Public Inquiry into proposed wind farm on land near Guestwick by Jane Davis.
3 Research by Dr Amanda Harry, GP practicing in the area of Bears Down, Cornwall.
4 Small business council report on UK Energy Policy and impact on rural communities.
5 WWW.stoplintonwindfarm.org.uk

This information was produced by the Parkham Parish Conservation Association (PPCA).