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

EPP 165 – Alan Morgan

Dear Sir or Madam

I have just returned from a meeting regarding the proposed wind farms and pylons in my local area. I manage a Riverbend Caravan Park in Llangadfan and wish to object to the plans, my reasons are:

1. The amount of road works required to make the local roads suitable for the huge number of oversized loads needed during construction of the turbines, and the effect this will have on tourists and locals using these roads during the alterations, and when the estimated 3000 individual loads travel to the sites.

2. The huge amount of concrete required means large numbers of mixers travelling down narrow roads all hours of the day and night, plus vast numbers of trees being felled and massive concrete pads being constructed, land being drained causing serious flooding problems down the Banw valley

3. The detrimental effect it will have on the beautiful welsh scenery, and the tourist industry which is worth £360 million pounds a year in Montgomery.

4. The effect it will have on the caravan parks in the area which help generate a large proportion of tourist income.

People do not travel from the Midlands to Wales to look at pylons and wind turbines, they come for the peace and quiet and the unspoilt scenery. If this proposal goes ahead an environmental disaster of epic proportions will be unleashed on Wales and its people.

We are not talking about a village being flooded this time, but huge swathes of rolling hills and wooded valleys being industrialized, and lines of pylons marching across the border into England.

It is my personal opinion that planning laws go out of the window if something is labelled as being "green" wind farms are not green.

You could cover the whole of Wales with wind farms and it would contribute very little to the energy needs of Great Britain, in fact it would contribute nothing during gales or calm weather.

Regards

Alan Morgan