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

EPP 126 – Steve and Linda Elliott

Dear Sirs,

I object to the planned expansion of the windfarms in Mid-Wales under TAN8 for the following reasons:

My wife and I live in Shropshire near the Welsh Border and we are inside one of the corridors put forward by National Grid as a possible route for a high voltage power line connecting the windfarm to the National Grid between Oswestry and Shrewsbury.  Whichever corridor is selected it will cross some of the loveliest countryside in England and Wales and we do not believe that TAN8 sufficiently examined the impact of the windfarm expansion on the wider region.  The powerlines will damage the countryside and its economy which is already hard pressed.

The windfarm developments are unfair. A small number of wealthy landowners stand to reap huge rewards but the ordinary man and women living in the area will lose monetary and amenity value in their property. The developments will not bring sustainable jobs or income to the region.

The case for the mass generation of electricity by wind power is not proven and is doubtful.   The benefits are heavily outweighed by the economic, social and environmental costs.

We ask  you to seriously look again at the impact of tan8 on Shropshire and Powys and consider if it is worth the damage which will be caused to our region.

Regards

Steve and Linda Elliott