Windfarm Wars BBC2 7 pm Friday

mike65

Heads up for this, sorry its late!

Windfarm Wars
Season 1 Episode 1 of 4
New series. Documentary following global windfarm developer Rachel Ruffle, who faces opposition to her plans for the Den Brook Windfarm in Devon, featuring nine 120m-high turbines in a valley 4.5 miles from Dartmoor National Park. A local action group claims the turbines are visually intrusive and ineffective, while a resident is torn between the need for action on climate change and his fears that the noise could blight the countryside

(not news really but I have to select a prefix)

mike65

Just a to add if you missed it, its on iplayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00zn463/Windfarm_Wars_Episode_1/

but also on BBC 2 Scotland at 5.15 Saturday, if you watch UK channels in FTA you can find the channel in the high 900s.

Its worth watching if even one knows the ending (don't google Devon wind farm!)

quentingargan

mike65 wrote: »

Just a to add if you missed it, its on iplayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00zn463/Windfarm_Wars_Episode_1/

BBC forbids downloading from this site to an Irish IP address, so you can only watch this iplayer in the UK I assume? Anyone know a work-around to this?

redbeanz

Lordy lordy lordy!, I watched tonight's show from half way in and was unaware what the show was initially.
At a planning meeting what turned out to be village residents had their five minutes in the spotlight, one lady was so distraught I expected her to announce the developer had murdered her husband at the least!, she sobbed and bawled uncontrollably for some time until asked if she wanted to 'take five', "No, I'll be OK" she said and then bravely soldiered on and told us all of her plight.........

During the warmer months the lady and her family and friends occasionally use her Summer house to dine, woe of woes the Summer house faces the valley and her view will be spoiled by the turbines!

Not since the Thatcher era have I seen such selfishness. NIMBY doesn't cover it anymore, I have a more apt term but I'll be banned if I use it.
Suffice to say these people and this attitude disgust me!.

Redjeep!

redbeanz wrote: »

Lordy lordy lordy!, I watched tonight's show from half way in and was unaware what the show was initially.
At a planning meeting what turned out to be village residents had their five minutes in the spotlight, one lady was so distraught I expected her to announce the developer had murdered her husband at the least!, she sobbed and bawled uncontrollably for some time until asked if she wanted to 'take five', "No, I'll be OK" she said and then bravely soldiered on and told us all of her plight.........

During the warmer months the lady and her family and friends occasionally use her Summer house to dine, woe of woes the Summer house faces the valley and her view will be spoiled by the turbines!

Not since the Thatcher era have I seen such selfishness. NIMBY doesn't cover it anymore, I have a more apt term but I'll be banned if I use it.
Suffice to say these people and this attitude disgust me!.

I've not watched it, but it sounds like she wouldn't be too typical of somebody opposed to windfarms. Most of the concerns are fairly genuine.

mikehunts

Following this programme which i find interesting. Only the guy doing the talking over it, is wrecking my nut, nearly sure he sounds like the guy off thomas the tank.

redbeanz

Redjeep! wrote: »

I've not watched it, but it sounds like she wouldn't be too typical of somebody opposed to windfarms. Most of the concerns are fairly genuine.

Hi Redjeep, watching the episode fully I see the lady wasn't the only one going over the top and being ultra selfish.
Another lady was in floods while she told how her friends come and stay and now they will have the visits ruined by the turbines?. She must not be much of a host if the view is the only highlight!.

Redjeep!

redbeanz wrote: »

Hi Redjeep, watching the episode fully I see the lady wasn't the only one going over the top and being ultra selfish.
Another lady was in floods while she told how her friends come and stay and now they will have the visits ruined by the turbines?. She must not be much of a host if the view is the only highlight!.

I meant that I didn't think she wouldn't be typical of somebody opposed to windfarms, not of somebody on the programme. Most people's concerns regarding windfarms aren't trivial and can't be simply categorised as NIMBY'ism or selfishness.

djpbarry

quentingargan wrote: »

BBC forbids downloading from this site to an Irish IP address, so you can only watch this iplayer in the UK I assume? Anyone know a work-around to this?

Posts discussing the circumvention of broadcaster restrictions have been removed.

This is a private website folks – discussion of illegal activities, no matter how minor, is not permitted.

redbeanz

Redjeep! wrote: »

I meant that I didn't think she wouldn't be typical of somebody opposed to windfarms, not of somebody on the programme. Most people's concerns regarding windfarms aren't trivial and can't be simply categorised as NIMBY'ism or selfishness.

I do beg your pardon Radjeep, I like to think any objectors have genuine reasons to oppose the turbines, anyone citing a view being somehow spoiled has no merit whatsoever as far as I am concerned. Thank-you for clearing that up.

Redjeep!

redbeanz wrote: »

I do beg your pardon Radjeep, I like to think any objectors have genuine reasons to oppose the turbines, anyone citing a view being somehow spoiled has no merit whatsoever as far as I am concerned. Thank-you for clearing that up.

Well Redbeanz, thankyou for your comments.

However I'd respectfully like to point out that you're probably in the minority as even the Windfarm Development Guidelines probably have more pages devoted to 'asthetic considerations' than any other single topic.

Out of interest. Is this opinion that nobody has the right to object in terms of the view being spoiled just for windfarms or does this apply for any planning application, say for a waste disposal site or a multistory carpark ? Do you believe that windfarms are a special case ?

quentingargan

Redjeep! wrote: »

Is this opinion that nobody has the right to object in terms of the view being spoiled just for windfarms or does this apply for any planning application, say for a waste disposal site or a multistory carpark ? Do you believe that windfarms are a special case ?

Personally, I think they are. I would prefer visible pollution to invisible pollution any day. I also quite like seeing wind turbines spinning - they are sort of iconic.

But I understand that some people regard them as mechanical monstrosities. The trouble is that if you are going to have wind energy, you can't really hide them out of the way - they only work on the top of mountains, so yes, you have to make some sort of exception. There is no excuse for putting a house (or a car park for that matter) on top of a mountain..

Corsendonk

redbeanz wrote: »

Lordy lordy lordy!, I watched tonight's show from half way in and was unaware what the show was initially.
At a planning meeting what turned out to be village residents had their five minutes in the spotlight, one lady was so distraught I expected her to announce the developer had murdered her husband at the least!, she sobbed and bawled uncontrollably for some time until asked if she wanted to 'take five', "No, I'll be OK" she said and then bravely soldiered on and told us all of her plight.........

During the warmer months the lady and her family and friends occasionally use her Summer house to dine, woe of woes the Summer house faces the valley and her view will be spoiled by the turbines!

Not since the Thatcher era have I seen such selfishness. NIMBY doesn't cover it anymore, I have a more apt term but I'll be banned if I use it.
iSuffice to say these people and this attitude disgust me!.

Ohh it happens in Ireland too, the Green Party reaps what it sows. I watched the first episode and it had so many parallels with the dispute over the East-West Interconnector route through the town of Rush. A group of concerned citizens went on a tangent with every concern from traffic disruption, childrens cancer, big business taking over their town, possible explosion and finished up claiming powerlines cause alzheimers. They quoted one particular science paper and the majority residents didnt read the quoted report fully only the emotional headlines that whipped young mothers into a frenzy for their childrens health and declarations on FB that they would do anything to protect their childrens health. Otherwise they would have seen that it was a different power current, based on pylons and in a population of GB worked out at 0.5 people a year. They didn't have a problem with the route going through other parts of North Co Dublin. Nimbies!

Then with some it was basically how much money they could get out of Eirgrid for compensation, Eirgrid paided out 100,000 euros to local groups and then paided through its community scheme for the repair of the local GAA roof. Still some are expecting that the route will be changed after Eirgrid have spent the last 6 months installing the ducting in Rush. The chairperson of the anti group spent alot of money on a very modernistic mansion that overlooks the beach that Eirgrid is currently bringing the cable onshore, brought to mind the lady with the dinner party looking at the turbines.

Oldtree

I think my views on this topic are well covered in previous posts. This man puts the case across very well:

http://www.friendsoftheirishenvironment.net/paperstoday/index.php?do=paperstoday&action=view&id=14221

Macha

Please put forward your own arguments and engage in proper debate. Linking to someone else's blog/opinion piece does not constitute engaging in debate.

robtri

quentingargan wrote: »

Personally, I think they are. I would prefer visible pollution to invisible pollution any day. I also quite like seeing wind turbines spinning - they are sort of iconic.

But I understand that some people regard them as mechanical monstrosities. The trouble is that if you are going to have wind energy, you can't really hide them out of the way - they only work on the top of mountains, so yes, you have to make some sort of exception. There is no excuse for putting a house (or a car park for that matter) on top of a mountain..

most of the wind turbines near me arent on mountains... on hilly ground alright but would call them mountains, fileds all round them...

many people live on similiar hills and even on mountains.. are you saying they should not have been granted planning permission???

quentingargan

robtri wrote: »

many people live on similiar hills and even on mountains.. are you saying they should not have been granted planning permission???

You generally won't get planning permission for a house on top of a hill, unless there are grounds for putting it there, such as needing to work the farm etc. If there is good reason for putting a house somewhere, you will probably get permission. If there is good reason for putting a turbine on top of a hill, likewise.

I don't think the planning process always gets it perfect. There are monstrosities of all sorts that somehow wriggle through. The policy of designating areas for wind farms is proabably a good compromise - the grid can be developed in those areas, and other parts of the country are left undeveloped, and unspoiled.

Oldtree

I believe that these developments should be in the right place and the detriment to the visual landscape that they have, should have a higher value than that which is given today. However the following case for 1 turbine in Galway didn't get through for all the right reasons:

http://www.pleanala.ie/casenum/225088.htm

REASONS AND CONSIDERATIONS

1. The site of the proposed development is located in a prominent, open and exposed position on the foothills that form part of the hinterland of the important tourist town of Clifden, in a landscape of visual sensitivity and high amenity value. The site is within an area designated Landscape Sensitivity Class 4 – Special - in the Galway county Development Plan, 2003-2009. It is the policy of the planning authority, as set out in the development plan, to preserve the character of the landscape, where the proper planning and sustainable development of the area requires it, including the preservation of views and prospects and of features of natural beauty or interest. It is considered that the proposed wind turbine structure would constitute a visually intrusive development, which would detract from the character and contribute to the erosion of the visual and environmental amenity of this sensitive and vulnerable area, particularly when viewed from the southern approaches to Clifden and from the Alcock and Brown Monument at Ballinaboy, thereby adversely affecting the setting of the town. The proposed development would, therefore, conflict with the policy set out in the development plan, would seriously injure the visual amenities of the area, would constitute an inappropriate precedent for further such development in the vicinity and would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

2. The site of the proposed development is located in an area of “Outstanding” landscape value, as identified in the Galway County Development Plan, 2003-2009, and is within a wider area of blanket bog, listed as an Annex 1 Habitat (under European Directive 92/43/EEC). On the basis of the submissions made in connection with the application and appeal, the Board is not satisfied that the proposed development would not have significant adverse impacts on the ecological importance of this site and the immediate area, by reason of disturbance to and destruction of the habitat. The proposed development would, therefore, be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.