Environment and Sustainability Committee
Inquiry into Energy Policy and Planning in Wales

EPP 33 – Nigel and Stella Bullock

Email response to E&S.comm.@wales.gov.uk

In response to the two petitions

1. No to Tan8 wind farms & high voltage lines spoiling our community.

2. Transport of wind turbines in mid –wales

We would like to respond as follows, although we are sure this has been said many times over and we hope WAG will finally listen as we are not sure how many times one has to cover this given the massive protest here.

Petition 1,Tan8.

There is total disregard for the visual aspect of this scenic countryside and the natural contour of high hills, and important forest areas with proposals for mega turbines which would stand out as the main feature and be seen for many miles and into other counties. Smaller turbines are bad enough but this approach to turbines of near 400ft and 600ft high is unacceptable. No one has considered these sites and implication of development on the wider community, nor those in closer proximity. The technology of turbines has moved on since the TAN8 2005 and the impact of these we would suggest is far greater on the environment and economics than ever envisaged when all this was drawn up, thus they require bigger foundations, more excavation, massive traffic loads, bigger power grid, none of which was envisaged which is short sited to say the least.

TAN 8 seems to relax normal planning constraints in SSA areas in favour of developers which is unfair to the rights of people who live here. Why should a developer who has no other interest in the area, stand to gain financially from government subsidy and national grid payouts, and have a presumed right to apply for wind farms where people here do not want them and there is no benefit to the area or the people other than blight caused by it. Why should we have our lives and well being destroyed and our capital investments in property affected for the sake of this questionable approach to power generation.

The environmental assessments provided by developers are biased and not independently done and hence they are not independently tested. Hence we see comments such as ‘the landscape is hill pasture lacking in sense of purpose’ or they put some other comment to suggest the landscape is of no value to suit their purpose. Whereas people who live and work here and who visit as tourists see it as scenic natural landscape of immense visual value not to be blighted by such monstrosities of turbines and pylons.

The effects of wind farms on people and wild life from noise and flicker have never been considered properly instead we have to listen to blasé tripe issued from DECC and others that say wind farms at 350m are the sound of rustling leaves in a general breeze – what rubbish. There has been case law which states wind farms do make noise and people have been driven from their homes. Jane Davis V developers east of England.

Similarly no one has properly considered effect of property value and the effects on the property market generally in the area when conceiving this monstrous TAN8 policy thus we now have a situation in Mid Wales as example where the whole market has become flat on top of the national gloom. Constituents now face being unable to sell and move on and also possibility of loss of value which is a reality and yet we see again comment from DECC that studies in USA show little evidence of impact on house prices. Why has this not been studied here in Wales before the Welsh Government embarked on this policy.

The Welsh and UK government have done nothing to carryout proper risk assessment on the overall implications of this form of development on population and the environment in respect of health ( mental and physical), from such as noise, stress, flicker of blades, loss of well being etc etc. Effect on landscape and visual amenity which people came here for, loss of wild life habitat, risk of flooding from loss of valuable upland peat and natural drainage etc, Its scandalous. Any company would have to carry out risk assessment on its workface practices and yet the population who are affected by this seemingly do not get any consideration from Government who are charged with ensuring the well being.

The effect of this policy on the economics of the areas has never been given one thought when this was done which is quite clear to lay people. Thus we have a situation where Mid Wales already suffers high un-employment and there is little opportunity and yet this Welsh and Uk government puts at risk the very amenity ( its scenic landscape) which provides the income generation as we understand of over 600m a year and employs over 6000 people. Let us also not forget the fact that people move into this area from more expensive parts of UK and invest here will they do that is this went ahead- we think not.

Pylons themselves and hubs are as damaging to the visual landscape as the wind farms and bring with them the health and environment risks just the same and overall the infrastructure will devastate the area. The cumulative effects of this TAN8 wind farms policy combined with infrastructure has never been properly considered and of course the people have never been consulted.

Petition 2 Transport

There was no mention in TAN8 of consideration of transport problems.

These developments require massive and numerous loads, the size and quantity of which are too great and disruptive for this area which has limited good roads.

The disruption which would be caused over a protracted time and negotiating small villages , altering roads and  tying up important police resources during the construction would be immense and economically damaging. There would be traffic congestion and increased accidents. The future after construction would lead to increased volumes of developer traffic never envisaged. The whole thing is impractical to image and should never be embarked upon.

We also think there is a serious other issue in that this whole proposal may lead to civil unrest on a scale not envisaged in Wales. The seed of anguish and stress are already there. This TAN8 is unworkable and should be thrown out. This Power plan should never go ahead.

Yours

Nigel and Stella Bullock