By Michael Alexander
Claims that five potential sites for Fife Council’s wind power project
could help generate up to £11.75 million are “ill-informed and inaccurate”,
say anti-windfarm campaigners.
Fife Council’s executive committee will next Tuesday be asked to progress
plans for five wind turbines at council sites, including four in west Fife
a 77m (253ft) turbine at Pitreavie Playing Fields, a 45m (148ft) turbine
at Halbeath Park and Ride and 24m (79ft) turbines at both Dalgety Bay
Sports Centre and Inverkeithing High School. Another is planned for
Cotlands Park in Kennoway.
The council says the scheme is one of the ways it is trying to reduce its
energy costs, carbon emissions and generate income to protect frontline
services. Councillors will be asked to agree that these sites can be
progressed before planning permission is applied for.
But West Fife campaign group Stop Proliferation Of Turbines (Spot) Fife
claim “the numbers just don’t add up”.
Chairman Tom Bain said: “Fife Council have already lost the taxpayer
significant amounts of money with their rushed and ill-thought-out attempts
to appear green by recklessly putting wind turbines up in places they
really aren’t designed to work in.
“Fife Council have erected seven turbines, five of which have been
decommissioned without making a penny. The other two, at Carnegie Primary
School and Dunfermline High School, have cost the council more than
£100,000 so far yet have only saved £5,000 on fuel bills.
“The numbers just don’t add up, especially as the council have failed to
factor in maintenance costs.”
He added: “A report commissioned by Fife Council confirmed no commercial
developer would erect these turbines yet they seem determined on ploughing
our money into this project, anyway.
“There are particular concerns about the turbine at Pitreavie Playing
Fields, as it will be sited so close to the existing turbine at FMC, which
has already generated several complaints from nearby residents about health
impacts, noise and shadow-flicker and is currently subject to a Scottish
Government study into the real impact of wind turbines versus the impacts
developers say there will be when submitting applications.”
He added: “Fife Council should wait to see what the result of this study is
before subjecting local residents to another huge turbine so close to their
homes.”
Chris Ewing, chief operating officer with the council, said: “The executive
committee will consider a report on the matter on September 9.”
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