BT Admits Wind Turbines Will Ruin a Community
Together we will give Aspatria its Voice back.
At the end of October 2009 BT submitted a planning application to build four turbines at Threapland Lees Farm, Cumbria.
These are the tallest on land turbines proposed in Cumbria to date. They are 40 metres taller than the existing turbines at
Wharrel’s Hill, Bothel and are in close proximity to residential homes in the villages of Bothel, Plumbland and Threapland.
It was in response to this that anxious but determined residents formed the Threapland Turbine Action Group (TTAG) in
June and have been battling to dissuade BT from submitting its plans ever since. BT wouldn’t listen, and submitted
its plans, unaltered.
“Over dominance”, “severe”, “maximum, direct, long term impact”, are the ways BT has, in its planning submissions, chosen
to describe the effects of its plan to build four, 410 feet high wind turbines less than 600m from the village of Threapland.
Residents of the villages of Threapland, Bothel and Plumbland are in the midst of a struggle to maintain a glimmer of a
quality of life against the multi-national company BT.
Through BT’s own paid advisors, Manchester based URS, the visual impact on Threapland and the surrounding area has
been described as“emphasising the feeling of enclosure”, with it “radically changing the character of the landscape through
over dominance”. They go on to say the impact would be “severe” with the visual effects at a “maximum, direct,
long-term, adverse impact”.
Steve Swallow, TTAG member, said “for BT to admit this, is astounding. It just goes to show how bad this scheme would be
for the lives of countless families living literally under the shadow of these things”. He added, “To be honest, if I wanted
to live in an area of modern construction over-dominance, I would not have chosen to live in a rural location”.
What’s amazing is the detrimental impacts don’t stop with what you can see. Again, through URS, BT admits that the
night-time noise level will increase almost four fold! Alan Clouston, Chairman of TTAG said “This is a quiet rural area of
several small villages. It just isn’t acceptable for families, many with children, to have to put up with an increase in noise.
It’s an appalling way to treat people”.
Since TTAG was formed, members have been working to open and maintain a dialogue with BT about its plans.
Steve Swallow commented “We’ve had conversations with them but each time they close the door in our faces. We’ve tried
to talk about alternative sites/positioning but they refuse to explain the reasons behind their decisions and have said
the subject is closed”.
In a recent poll for Plumbland Parish Council 91% of those who responded voted that a wind farm within 2km of people’s
homes was unacceptable. Similar polls are taking place at Bothel and Aspatria. This follows a poll in Gilcrux recently,
where again a vast majority of people opposed turbines so close to villages.
Alan Clouston said “We challenge BT and any other developer to conduct surveys of all the residents living within 2km
of their proposed sites to determine the views of local residents.” “It is only because we insisted that BT took
photographs from the nearest village that they had to admit the disastrous effect it would have on that village.”
He added “TTAG, is NOT opposed to wind turbines as a renewable source of energy, but is determined to defend against
the disastrous impact they have when placed too close to ANY town or village.”
Planning laws demand a balance is struck between the benefit of a scheme and the harm it will cause to the landscape
and individual, and after BTs horrific revelations, TTAG is more determined than ever to fight what can only be called
corporate bullying. “There appears absolutely no balance in this plan”, said Steve Swallow.
TTAG has a website www.no2turbines.co.uk where further details can be found and we would encourage anyone who
values the un-spoilt rural landscape to write to Allerdale BC and object to the wind turbine proposals – details of how to
object can be found on the web site.
July 09
Plans to build 6 wind turbines
as big as the London eye
500 metres from Threapland.
Latest News December 08
The company who
wants to install huge wind turbines on a field between
Aspatria and West Newton are re-submitting their application.
If anyone knows of any
public events to do with the Wind turbines please let us know
and we will publish the date and times on this site for them.
We the editors of Aspatria`s-Voice are totally against the amount of Wind Turbines
that are springing up all around us in West Cumbria and will do all we can to
help
the villages affected by these
Defence
Ministers state Wind turbines are a threat to
National Security!
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2007/11/03/mod-gets-wind-up-89520-20054926/
New moves to stop wind farms in West Cumbria
http://www.timesandstar.co.uk/unknown/viewarticle.aspx?id=558020
No limit
on Wind Turbines
www.timesandstar.co.uk/unknown/viewarticle.aspx?id=545356
Planning permission
has been put in to Allerdale for 5, 107metre turbines to be sites
at Westnewton, these turbines are alot bigger than the ones already up at Bothel
Please support Westnewton Parish Council and help them to stop these being passed
Its amazing how many people
we know have complained about the Windfarm at Bothel.
It appears that no matter were you are in the area you look up to what was once
a lovely view of the hills to be greeted by these wind turbines.
We are surrounded by them!
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