CREDIT is due to East Ayrshire Council for taking legal action against Community Windpower for failing to meet the planning conditions imposed on its Sneddon Law wind farm (“Judges halt work on wind farm over water pollution complaints”, The Herald, December 17). The same council has also recently issued an abatement notice on an unauthorised noisy wind turbine.
Investigating complaints is resource intensive for a council and if obliged to take action against the wrongdoer it is exposed to the risk of proceedings by an appellant who in many cases is far better placed and resourced to argue the case. This leads to dithering by the Council and prolonged suffering for the complainant. Such is the case in the neighbouring local authority of East Renfrewshire where it has taken the Council three years to investigate complaints of excessive noise from wind turbines in the Uplawmoor area. Monitoring has now established that noise limits are being exceeded by a whopping nine decibels.
East Ayrshire Council has put its citizens’ health and wellbeing first and deserves praise for its efforts. May more local authorities follow its lead.
Aileen Jackson
Uplawmoor
East Renfrewshire
http://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/15671085.More_councils_should_take_wind_farm_action/
SEVERAL years ago I wrote to the gamekeeper associations and warned them that their members were going to get the blame for raptor deaths by wind turbines. My concerns were dismissed then. Not so now.
The shoddy monitoring of turbines by the wind industry is truly pathetic. Anyone with any sense would know that all birds that are struck will not all fall within 50m of the towers. If injured they will crawl into undergrowth to die, never to be found or be removed by the predators that have learned turbines mean easy fast food as photographed fox tracks around turbine bases show. The only way to get a true picture is to have the turbines independently monitored 24/7.
I have heard it said that grouse thrive under wind farms on shooting estates because the turbines wipe out many of the raptors that feed on them. It is not in the interests of the wind industry or Scottish Government to let the public know how many thousands of birds and bats their turbines are killing. The public will not like it and may well demand the slaughter ceases and that would mean no more turbines because it is impossible to stop. It is happening all over the world and birds and bats are dying in their millions with whole eco-systems under threat. It will be happening in Scotland despite the denials and lack of data. If you don’t monitor competently you will not get the data that’s there to be found.
I was also told by a wind developer at a public consultation that birds “learn” to miss the blades. When the tips are travelling at up to 200 mph? A ludicrous comment by any standards.
Wind farm maps are not now readily available from Scottish Natural Heritage or the Scottish Government. I would suggest that an overlay of an operational wind farm map and a map that shows areas where protected raptors are in decline would show some very eerie similarities.
From our home we have noticed a marked decline in the amount of red kites we see since Fairburn wind farm became operational. A coincidence? We don’t believe so.
Lyndsey Ward,
Darach Brae,
Beauly,
2 Comments
Ms. C. Dean · November 20, 2017 at 12:38 pm
East Ayrshire Council recently served a Noise Abatement Notice on the operators of a Wind Turbine built without planning permission 306 metres from my property. The Turbine has been silent since 3rd November.
Aileen Jackson mentions the Notice in her letter to The Herald.
Since it began operating in December 2015 it has been a Nuisance, disturbing sleep (it can be heard inside with the windows closed) and not being able to use our gardens because of the unrelenting noise 24 hours a day when the wind blows.
The Turbine Owners have recently applied for Retrospective Planning Permission. The officer handling the case recommended REFUSAL.
However EAC has given them more time to see if the noise can be mitigated.
Our Noise Consultant Dick Bowdler and the councils consultant Accon both stated that
mitigation would not be possible as the unauthorised turbine is built too close to neighbouring properties and Amplitude Modulation occurs at an unacceptable level.
We will just have to wait and see what happens next…….hopefully EAC Planning Committee will take notice of the experts opinion and refuse permission.
The Farmer who owns the land the turbine was built on lives 5 km away in perfect peace and quiet whilst we have had to suffer the noise for almost two years. Not in my back yard evidently! The Operators are from Surrey. It is of no benefit to the local economy and should be removed from site.
SAS Volunteer · November 20, 2017 at 2:01 pm
You have a great case and expert support. Fingers crossed for a happy outcome.