Environment
and Sustainability Committee
Inquiry into Energy
Policy and Planning in Wales
EPP 124 – Barbara Jessop
21st September 2011
To whom it may concern
I am writing to you to express my deep concern about the proposed
wind farm developments, hubs and pylons in Montgomeryshire and the
Welsh Government's policy on renewable and non-renewable energy
generation.
This is the biggest infrastructure project ever undertaken in Wales
and the preparation and consultation process has so far been wholly
inadequate and sadly lacking in stragegy.
I believe there now needs to be an comprehensive review of TAN8 and
the renwewable energy policy of not jut Cardiff but also
Westminster. Such a review should take a holistic approach, one
that takes into account the environment, the lack of
infrastructure, impact of flooding down stream, impact on
communities,, tourism and general business concerns. It should also
look at the impact on the already very conjested roads around
Welshpool and Newtown. Individual aspects cannot and should not be
looked at in isolation. The review should also consider the latest
evidence and scientific research on renweable energy. TAN8 was
drawn up in a different 'area' and as a document is now out of
date
Environmental concerns
This project means that as the plans stand currently 40% of
Montgomeryshire will be affected by potential wind farms
developments, pylons or the hub. This in return for just 4% of the
renewable energy target for Wales! The impact of this development
on the people, the economy as well as the environment of
Montgomeryshire is out of all proportion!
An Olympic size swimming pool area will have to be excavated for
every windmill and peat will be replaced by concrete. The removal
of peat might lead to flooding further down the valleys as water
can no longer be absorbed. Montgomeryshire already has severe
flooding problems during heavy rain. Hedges will have to be cut
down, roads built etc, this will have a serious impact on our
environment, our daily lives and the future of
Montgomeryshire.
Countryside is not something that should be wantonly destroyed; it
has a value that has so far been completely ignored.
Impact on birds not least the County Emblem the RED KITE
According to research by Scientists from the
Centre for Ornithology at the University of Birmingham, UK, birds
collide with power lines because they have "blind spots" in their
field of vision. This will be true for many of the corridor routes,
the big bird population will suffer from the wind farm blades and
power lines.
What will happen to our red kite population we are
so proud of? Has anybody looked at the potential impact this will
have on our birds of prey? Who will measure the impact of the
development on the birds? Surely we cannot rely on the
developers to monitor and report back?
Tourism
Montgomeryshire is a relatively poor county and
relies heavily on tourism income to support its economy; this will
be lost with the arrival of big scale wind farms. Tourism in
Montgomeryshire is valued at £358 Million and currently
supports 6300 jobs (figures from Mid Wales Tourism). But not just
Mid-Wales will lose income, so many holiday makers travel through
the area from the Midlands to reach the West Coast of Wales, I
don’t think many will make the journey a second time with the
inevitable travel chaos. They will look for other places to go to.
Will they come back after 7 years? What happens to Tourism in West
and Mid Wales in the meantime?
Lack of infrastructure in Montgomeryshire
I live in Castle Caereinion which lies on the
A458 and it will be heavily affected by wind turbine traffic
movement going towards Cefn Coch. Most people commute to Welshpool
on a daily basis either for work, shopping or medical
appointments. I don’t think any of the parties involved
have truly assessed the impact this will have on my life, the life
of my family and my community. The roads are narrow and bendy and
do not lend themselves to huge lorry traffic.
The number of traffic abnormal loads in the first three years is
2,565, the number of convoys 855, convoys and convoys through
Welshpool town centre per week 18.
I work on the outskirts of Newtown and can see daily the traffic
chaos to get into Newtown. Queues regularly reach back to the Gro
Guest House on the A483, this will only increase with the holiday
traffic. The same applies for the bottleneck in Welshpool. Our road
network is already at breaking point from May till August and
cannot cope with the substantial additional traffic from wind farm
developments.
My family as well as my community rely on these roads to go about
our daily lives and earn a living. My children attend Llanfair
School, I travel to Newtown to work and my husband to Llanfyllin.
How will emergency vehicles get through?
Our beautiful
countryside will be turned into an industrial area, we will suffer
from major traffic problems for many years to come, lose our main
source of income which is tourism as well as our County logo, the
red kite.
The more we hear and read about windfarms the more it becomes
obvious that it is foremost about business and profits and not
about what's in the best interest of Wales. Politics and business
is so interwoven that it is sometimes difficult to see who is
leading whom. This applies not just to Britain but unfortunately
also to the European Union who is the driving force behind the
supergrid. All this despite growing evidence that shows the folly
of onshore windfarms
I urge the Environment and Sustainability Committee to press for
a comprehensive environmental impact assessment as well as a review
of TAN8. This is a strategy Wales cannot afford to get
wrong.
On a slightly different note, my husband recently organised a
discussion on windfarm developments for the 6th form of
Llanfyllin High School and could not get a single politician or
energy company to come and speak in favour of windfarms? This, in
my opinion, speaks for itself!
I appreciate you taking the time to read my letter.
Yours sincerely,
Barbara Jessop