Wind

Few aspects of renewable energy are more controversial right now than the issue of wind turbines. Find out more, both about the issues and about what you can do!

1. Calling time on trick photography
2. Seminar report : Wind turbines and the planning process
3. CPRE's policy on wind turbine applications
4. Visualisation helps block turbine plans near National Park

Calling time on trick photography

One of the undisputed adverse consequences of industrial scale wind turbines is their impact on the landscape. For this reason, a planning application must contain photomontages and/or wireframe diagrams, to enable the planners and consultees to assess the impact of a proposal.

As we have been reviewing the wind farm planning applications coming through, in Northamptonshire, we felt that almost invariably the visual representations were carefully designed to hide the true impact of the development, rather than illustrate it. This is unacceptable.

We have seen cases where developers have used wide angle lenses which make the turbines look smaller. Or they have carefully positioned the camera location so that bushes or hedges near the camera hide the turbines from view. Or items have been placed in the foreground to give the impression that they are taller than the turbines.

To try to stop these practices, we have developed a set of guidelines (scroll down to see our free download at the bottom of this page) that highlight good and bad practice when preparing visual representations. We have distributed this to all the county's planning departments. Our intention is that they can be given to developers in the early stages of the planning process so that they know we are aware of the tricks that have been used in the past - and they know that such practices are unacceptable.

The guidelines can also be used later in the planning process by the planning departments as a yardstick by which to judge the quality of photographs and wireframe diagrams that have been submitted.

If the planners feel that the images are misleading, they have the power to require the developer to prepare some that are not.

With grateful thanks to Northamptonshire Branch's quarterly newsletter Outlook, Number 18 Autumn 2008.
Outlook is issued free to members of Northamptonshire CPRE. To find out more, contact the editors Sue Baylis and Sally Hanrahan at info@cpreNorthants.org. To view back issues of the newsletter at http://www.cprenorthants.org/documents/PagesMain/newsevents1.htm

http://www.cprenorthants.org/documents/Misc/Windfarms-VisualImpactGuidelines.pdf - the guidelines c/o Northants website

Seminar report: Wind turbines and the planning process

In response to concerns by members about conflicting information on the wind-farms planned for the area, CPRE Leicestershire held this event in Harborough Theatre on 28^th October - on the night of the first October snow for 70 years! Despite this, 62 people attended.

Most of the audience seemed to be anti wind turbines, with the wind-farm planned for Swinford as the main focus of opposition.

Regional Assembly point of view

Dr Helen Chadwick - Regional Energy Co-ordinator at EMRA - explained the regional targets for renewable energy and the different technologies expected to achieve them. Questions focused on wind turbines, their efficiency and targets for energy.

Helen explained the targets are expressed in gigawatts of energy produced, as well as megawatts of installed capacity; the energy is transmitted to the National Grid, where it's stored for delivery as and when needed, thus evening out the fluctuations in wind; information on wind speeds is available on a Government website.

What you can do

Michael Brooks - Community and Regional Planning Services - talked about the planning process, the stages an application must go through and at what points the public can respond. He detailed the sound planning reasons that will be considered by Planning Officers, and warned against submitting a response based on emotion and unproved claims of potential impacts.

Michael dispelled several myths:

there's no legally defined distance between wind turbines and residential properties;
there's no planning legislation concerning the view of one wind farm from another, although it is worth mentioning cumulative impact, if appropriate, in planning responses;
there's no scientific consensus on the health impacts of low frequency noise, so not worth including in planning responses
- although audible noise is a statutory nuisance and should be included when it's an issue.

What's CPRE policy on wind turbines?

There were calls from the audience for CPRE to ‘take a stand'. Regional chairman Tony Kemmer explained that CPRE policy recognises climate change and the need for renewable energy, alongside its commitment to protect the landscape, so it looks at each wind turbine application on its merits.

It was also explained that CPRE Leicestershire is run by volunteers and one of the reasons for running this event is that more volunteers are needed in Harborough to respond to these planning applications.

CPRE Leicestershire was pleased with the outcome: it raised the branch's profile in the District and helped to dispel several myths that were circulating locally about wind turbines and, particularly, about the planning process in relation to wind turbines.

Visualisation helps block turbine plans near National Park

The Planning Inspectorate has turned down proposals for wind turbines near the Exmoor National Park after a strong campaign by CPRE Devon in alliance with local groups

Four proposed wind farms totalling 24 turbines just to the south of Exmoor National Park faced strong objections from local organisations. In September 2008, two of the developers appealed over non-determination. The Planning Inspectorate decided that both appeals would be determined at a single public inquiry, which lasted from June to November 2009.

CPRE Devon registered as a Rule 6 party, giving the branch equal status with the appellant. It joined forces with the Two Moors Campaign and the Exmoor Society under the banner of the Rural Exmoor Alliance in order to make a stronger case. The alliance was represented by a leading QC and called 8 witnesses covering landscape, noise, wildlife and tourism.

The inspector dismissed both appeals and refused planning permission on the grounds of impact on the landscape and the setting of the National Park, along with noise issues in the case of one of the appeals. In his conclusion, the inspector said:

"The proposed development would be seriously harmful to the character and appearance of the area, being at odds with the unspoilt nature of the landscape. It would also be harmful to the setting of Exmoor National Park."

All in all it was a mammoth task for the branch and took a lot of time and money. Dealing with the inquiry took up most of the campaigners' time for over 12 months. The money was raised through fundraising events as well as generous donations from the public.

The alliance strengthened its case at the inquiry by producing a number of photomontages, which the inspector agreed gave a true impression of the turbines and the landscape.

A decision o the other2 applications is expected later this year (they were originally submitted back in November 2006). The campaigners may be facing another major public inquiry.

Reproduced with permission from the April 2010 edition of Fieldwork,
CPRE's member newsletter

Fiona Cowan
13 May 2010

Downloads:
Visual impact guidelines - trick photography
PDF (139 Kb)