Windmills- Corrupt payment for neighbours?

Manoffeeling

I met a neighbour last week who informed me that he has been approached by a company to put up a windmill. His farm bounds me, but the windmill would be erected about 1/2 to 3/4 mile from me. It would almost be on the bog with the nearest house would be about 1/2 away. We got talking and he duly informed me that I would get money also if the planning went ahead.

Basically I and the bounding neighbours get money if we don't object! I didn't see any paperwork and have not been approached by anyone, but this smells foul. He is a fairly sound neighbour who tells the truth.

I am just wondering if this is common practice by these companies to bribe would be 'objectors'?

No bull excrement or childish comments please

RaggyDays

I`d want to see that in writing. Besides the amount of money when divided up between the neighbours wouldn't amount to much after.
Best to say no now and don't give the idea that you might have wanted it if there was money coming your way as that would be used against you to justify himself in erecting the Turbine

yellow50HX

Manoffeeling wrote: »

I met a neighbour last week who informed me that he has been approached by a company to put up a windmill. His farm bounds me, but the windmill would be erected about 1/2 to 3/4 mile from me. It would almost be on the bog with the nearest house would be about 1/2 away. We got talking and he duly informed me that I would get money also if the planning went ahead.

Basically I and the bounding neighbours get money if we don't object! I didn't see any paperwork and have not been approached by anyone, but this smells foul. He is a fairly sound neighbour who tells the truth.

I am just wondering if this is common practice by these companies to bribe would be 'objectors'?

No bull excrement or childish comments please

this may be compensation to neighboring farms as apposed to a bribe.

rancher

Manoffeeling wrote: »

I met a neighbour last week who informed me that he has been approached by a company to put up a windmill. His farm bounds me, but the windmill would be erected about 1/2 to 3/4 mile from me. It would almost be on the bog with the nearest house would be about 1/2 away. We got talking and he duly informed me that I would get money also if the planning went ahead.

Basically I and the bounding neighbours get money if we don't object! I didn't see any paperwork and have not been approached by anyone, but this smells foul. He is a fairly sound neighbour who tells the truth.

I am just wondering if this is common practice by these companies to bribe would be 'objectors'?

No bull excrement or childish comments please

This must be in the midlands, while they can't be any nearer than 500mtrs from a house, your neighbour can get a consderable lump sum or yearly rent if his boundary is near your windmill,

Manoffeeling

rancher wrote: »

This must be in the midlands, while they can't be any nearer than 500mtrs from a house, your neighbour can get a consderable lump sum or yearly rent if his boundary is near your windmill,

Sorry, but your reply is a little unclear. The windmill is on his land, not mine. Are you saying that the neighbours who bound the land where the turbine is situated will get an annual payment?

Manoffeeling

yellow50HX wrote: »

this may be compensation to neighboring farms as apposed to a bribe.

You can interpret it whatever way you want, but I think it's a bribe.

zenno

Manoffeeling wrote: »

Sorry, but your reply is a little unclear. The windmill is on his land, not mine. Are you saying that the neighbours who bound the land where the turbine is situated will get an annual payment?

As far as i know, only the owner of the land gets an annual payment.

rancher

Manoffeeling wrote: »

Sorry, but your reply is a little unclear. The windmill is on his land, not mine. Are you saying that the neighbours who bound the land where the turbine is situated will get an annual payment?

sorry didn't read it properly, yes for a short term, say five years as it would be more tax efficient but you can get a lump sum instead, there's war around here about same windmills
I think bord pleanala sent them back to get neighbours consent as well

edanto

Manoffeeling wrote: »

I am just wondering if this is common practice by these companies to bribe would be 'objectors'?

.

Yes.

The firms are looking to invest X million into building the things, and to reduce the chances of that all going t1ts up, they want to only build on sites where the landowners and neighbours have essentially sold their right to object. Strikes me as perfectly reasonable.

I'm not saying windmills are good or bad, just saying that I think it's a reasonable approach from the companies to reduce their risk.

I don't see what's corrupt or fishy about it?

There's certainly a lot to be concerned about - I've heard that windmill noise can affect sleep, cattle etc, but that's all a separate discussion. But is it not a bit dramatic to call it corrupt? They're just trying to make a business.

The government, on the other hand, have really made a sh1te of wind energy policy, with distorting subsidies and half baked policy. More on that here
http://www.irisheconomy.ie/index.php/2013/03/04/ireland-v-pat-swords/

kfk

AFAIK, once a wind project satisfies all of the guidelines and passes an environmental impact assessment, it would be very hard to be successful with an objection. So if it looks like it is going to get planning, IMO you may as well get what you can out of it. Do you have any land suitable for turbines?

Marooned75

The payment being offered to you is to stop you having any objections to it therefore the companies can say there is no objections to them.A bribe it sounds like.Also future planning applications by you or your children can be affected due to these things beside you what bank will give a loan on any property near these wind towers which will have a reduced or nearly worthless market value being near these things.

reilig

Compensation aside, what's wrong with having a windmill 1/2 a mile from your house?

rancher

reilig wrote: »

Compensation aside, what's wrong with having a windmill 1/2 a mile from your house?

The problem in the midlands is that 2000 windmills 600ft high are planned, which are the biggest in europe

MidlandsM

reilig wrote: »

Compensation aside, what's wrong with having a windmill 1/2 a mile from your house?

the noise apparently can be hard to live with.....:(

Manoffeeling

zenno wrote: »

As far as i know, only the owner of the land gets an annual payment.

He mentioned 18k as a once off payment for him and a rental income after that. He also said I might get about 1k, but he wasn't sure. He agreed with me that it wasn't very much money in the overall scheme of things and views my payment (if any), with suspicion.

I won't object if he wants to go ahead, as it won't interfere with me, but I view this payment to me as a bribe. I live a few miles from the farm so maybe this is why I can take a "chaise lounge" approach!

Username John

Manoffeeling wrote: »

You can interpret it whatever way you want, but I think it's a bribe.

I've heard of people getting compensated if a motorway is built near their house (i imagine the idea being you can insulate your house against the noise, etc...)

Would this not be the same kinda thing?

Marooned75

Manoffeeling wrote: »

He mentioned 18k as a once off payment for him and a rental income after that. He also said I might get about 1k, but he wasn't sure. He agreed with me that it wasn't very much money in the overall scheme of things and views my payment (if any), with suspicion.

I won't object if he wants to go ahead, as it won't interfere with me, but I view this payment to me as a bribe. I live a few miles from the farm so maybe this is why I can take a "chaise lounge" approach!

At 600 feet high a few miles isn't that far from it

rancher

Manoffeeling wrote: »

He mentioned 18k as a once off payment for him and a rental income after that. He also said I might get about 1k, but he wasn't sure. He agreed with me that it wasn't very much money in the overall scheme of things and views my payment (if any), with suspicion.

I won't object if he wants to go ahead, as it won't interfere with me, but I view this payment to me as a bribe. I live a few miles from the farm so maybe this is why I can take a "chaise lounge" approach!

If bord pleanala require the wind company to get your consent, there is no way that you should settle for €1k, it's up to you to set a figure.
These things are worth€18+/yr to the landowners along with 18k up front.

Manoffeeling

rancher wrote: »

If bord pleanala require the wind company to get your consent, there is no way that you should settle for €1k, it's up to you to set a figure.
These things are worth€18+/yr to the landowners along with 18k up front.

I didn't see any figures but 1k seems very little. What is the earning capacity of a turbine?

rancher

Manoffeeling wrote: »

I didn't see any figures but 1k seems very little. What is the earning capacity of a turbine?

I wouldn't know

loveta

MidlandsM wrote: »

the noise apparently can be hard to live with.....:(

There is a wind farm of about 20/30 windmills on the cavan fermanagh border up on a mountain not exactly what height they are the propellers are about 50/60 feet long each ,but anyways was up at them one day and there was little or no noise from them the wind was not blasting that day but they were spinning though..

Manoffeeling

rancher wrote: »

I wouldn't know

I admire you for your honesty.

munkus

Had a discussion with a friend of mine near Nenagh late week, there's a few there. He claimed that what the companies do is approach a number of farmers in the area, and neighbours like yourself and sign the agreements, including non disclosures. Out of all of the initial sites, they'll only choose a fraction of them and then look for planning on them. At that stage you can't make an objection as you were willing to have one near you when there was monetary gain in it for you, at least it weakens your objection.

Marooned75

Thats what they do get all to sign and then say there is no objections to these things.

Marooned75

rancher wrote: »

I wouldn't know

Course you do, did you not ask this question about them a while back?

freedominacup

Marooned75 wrote: »

Thats what they do get all to sign and then say there is no objections to these things.

If a development is in general compliance with a county development plan and building regulations you can object all you want and your objections will be noted but otherwise ignored. The fact that you don't "like" a proposed development or where it is to be sited is irrelevant. For an objection to be taken seriously it must show non-compliance with the development plan, or building regs or at a stretch some sort of impact on a historically significant site. Unless of course you can scare enough councillors into voting it down which is unlikely as the problem will only be shifted elsewhere and they probabaly have the math done and your area is the one where the least number of votes are at risk. It's probably not as blatant as the three possible routes plan with the motorways.

wayoutwest

If you are living 'downstream' from the windmill[check out average wind direction], then you might well be subjected to Infrasound. Most people can't hear this, as it is below 20 hertz [outside of our hearing range], but it can, all the same, cause negative effects [depression,anxiety,chest pains] The company will probably tell you that the turbines produce little or no noise...which maybe true, but they won't be talking about infrasound ,which, I believe can be detected some distance away from the site, Worth a google before committing yourself.

Manoffeeling

wayoutwest wrote: »

If you are living 'downstream' from the windmill[check out average wind direction], then you might well be subjected to Infrasound. Most people can't hear this, as it is below 20 hertz [outside of our hearing range], but it can, all the same, cause negative effects [depression,anxiety,chest pains] The company will probably tell you that the turbines produce little or no noise...which maybe true, but they won't be talking about infrasound ,which, I believe can be detected some distance away from the site, Worth a google before committing yourself.

I wasn't aware about infrasound. Is this the same frequency that some shops use to keep teenagers from loitering?

kowtow

munkus wrote: »

what the companies do is approach a number of farmers in the area, and neighbours like yourself and sign the agreements, including non disclosures... at least it weakens your objection.

If you sign demand that the NDA should cover the existence of the agreement with you, and be mutual, save as to the application in respect of your neighbours land. Then it can't be brought out in any other circumstances.

Dubl07

Manoffeeling wrote: »

I wasn't aware about infrasound. Is this the same frequency that some shops use to keep teenagers from loitering?

No - that's ultrasound/ultrasonics, eg the Mosquito which is pitched higher than an adult can generally hear. Infrasound is lower than the human hearing range. About Infrasound

Stinicker

You will also lose your Saorview TV reception if they buidl windmills between your aerial and the transmitter site. I'd object if I were you, no way in hell do you want them within 2-3miles of your home, the noise will drive you demented.