Action Group

About Us
 

Landscape Character / Historic Features

Landscape Character/Historic Features

Most wind farm planning applications are turned down because of the impact they have on the landscape. Thus in the case of the nearby Boxworth / Conington Wind Farm proposal the reasons for refusal by SCDC included:

The scheme, by virtue of the size, scale and extent of the wind turbines, would dominate and adversely affect the landscape character of the area, particularly the open and gently undulating rural character of the area. As a consequence it conflicts with Structure Plan 2003 Policies P7/4 and P7/7, South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2004 Policies EN1 and EN44 and national advice in PPS1, PPS7 and PPS22.

The scheme , by virtue of the size,scale and extent of the wind turbines would adversely affect the historic landscape pattern by introducing intrusive and standardised industrial forms which will visually connect Boxworth and Conington, in particular, and by virtue of its dominating impact upon the setting of and views from Conservation areas, particularly Elsworth and Fen Drayton. As a consequence it fails to comply with Structure Plan 2003 Policies P1/2,P7/6 and P7/7, South Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2004 Policies EN4, EN30 and EN44 and national advice in PPS1, PPS7 and PPG15.

Such concerns apply equally and probably more so in the case of the site chosen by Enertrag. The area has a rich historical heritage.  Also its inherent attractiveness is greater given that the Boxworth site was right next to the A14.

The area between Linton and Great Chesterford is a tranquil haven of rural England in an area in which any green spaces are under increasing threat from all forms of development and deserves protection.

The issue with this wind farm is that its scale means that there is no possibility of mitigating against its adverse effects. Unlike most other developments you cannot undertake landscaping or plant trees. At 400feet high they will truly dominate the countryside. They will be visible at up to 30km and will have a significant visual impact at up to 10km. Most developments affect a relatively small local area this wind farm will alter views over 300 square kilometers. A large swathe of South Cambridgeshire will be affected .

It is too large a scheme in an inappropriate location.

  Return to top of page.

Visual Amenity

Visual Amenity

As wind farms have been developed closer to habitation with bigger turbines so the visual impact for people living, working or travelling through the area has become more overpowering and intrusive. The turbines proposed here at up to 130m high are enormous structures, completely out of scale with anything else in the landscape whether man-made or natural. It is very difficult to get people to understand just how large these turbines will be in their visual impact. Enertrag will produce photomontages, photographs with mockups of the turbines superimposed, as part of their planning application but it has been recognised by a number of reports that these underestimate the actual impact.

We will be producing our own photomontages ( insert photos here will have some now and more later) but the only way to get people to understand just how high 130m actually represents is to fly something physically in the sky at that height. We will therefore be flying a blimp at various times to enable people to check whether and how much they will be impacted in their houses and as they travel around the area. Keep checking the website to see when this is going to happen. We will also use the blimp to take photographs to show the pervasive visual impact.

One of the difficulties other campaigns have had is to overcome general apathy and the feeling of people that they will not be affected. Just because you are a mile or two away does not mean you will not see the turbines. Enertrag in a recent Public Inquiry about another of their 8 turbine schemes with 125m turbines admitted that the wind farm would have a significant visual impact up to a distance of 10km, in other words over 300 square kilometres. Have a look at a map to see whether you will be impacted.

At virtually the height of the London Eye, and with blades rotating much faster, they will be more visually intrusive than a static object of the same size, if in deed there were static objects of that size in the countryside. Some of you may have seen the wind farms at Kettering and Warboys and thought they were tall. These turbines will be another 30% higher. The equivalent of putting another eight storey building on top of them.

 Return to top of page.

Public Rights of Way

Public Rights of Way

Public Rights of Way

The area around the proposed site is one of the few large open spaces of countryside close to Cambridge and is very well served with well-used public rights of way. Horse riders, walkers, joggers and cyclists are generally in the countryside to enjoy the landscape and as such represent the most sensitive people to changes in that landscape. The area has a value greater than just its intrinsic attractiveness because of the way that people use and value it. It is used for Duke of Edinburgh Award walks as well as being a focal point fot Scouts.

Bridleways

Horses are notoriously easy to spook through noise and movement and wind turbines create both as well as moving shadows on the ground. The problems that wind turbines can cause horses has been recognised by the British Horse Society and after consultation with their membership in March 2007 they issued the following guidelines:

"As guidance to developers and planners, the Society recommends that, as a starting point when assessing a site and its potential layout, a separation distance of 4 times the overall height should be the target for National Trails and Ride UK routes, as these are likely to be used by equestrians unfamiliar with turbines, and a distance of 3 times overall height from all other routes, with the 200m recommended in the Technical Guidance to PPS22 being seen as the minimum, where it is shown in a particular case that this would be acceptable."

Thus for this scheme the turbines should be 390m away from the nearest bridleway and yet four of the turbines are only approximately 50m from a well used bridleway. When queried about this Enertrag blithely say well they are only guidelines and the blades do not actually oversail the bridleway. So they are happy to ignore the guidance from the organisation that has the most experience about horses just so they can fit their scheme into a tight area. This shows where their priorities lie!

Footpaths

The Icknield Way, claimed to be the oldest road in Britain is a national footpath and runs only a few hundred metres from the wind farm. In the section near Linton it also forms part of the European Path E2 which stretches from Galway to Nice. It is, therefore, of international importance and to consider putting a wind farm so close, impairing the enjoyment of the people using it is putting commercial priorities ahead of the local amenity.

In addition to the Icknield Way there is a complete network of footpaths used by walkers and joggers for enjoyment and recreation in the rural environment.

If you regularly use the Public Rights of Way around the area or know of other people who do so please let us know so we can build up a pattern of usage.

  Return to top of page.

Noise / Health

Noise and Health

Noise

One of the main concerns for residents living near a wind farm is noise. Yet trying to find out just how noisy wind turbines will be, how close to the turbines you need to live for this to be a nuisance and if there will be health implications is fraught with difficulty. This is because the opinions of the wind energy industry on noise seems to differ markedly with the experiences of many people who already live near to operating wind farms.

There are a number of problems when trying to find your way past these conflicting positions:

1. Noise, its prediction and measurement, is a technical subject difficult for non noise experts to understand.
2. The sensitivity of people to noise varies significantly. A level of noise that one individual would find acceptable can be a major nuisance to a more sensitive person.
3. The statutory methodology (ETSU-R-97) required by law to be used to assess the impact of noise from any proposed wind farm was developed in 1996 using the experience of the much smaller (40 - 60m high turbines) in use at that time. Even though the authors of ETSU accepted this problem and recommended a review within two years no such update has taken place in the last decade.
4. There has been virtually no research into the noise impacts of the current large (125/130m) turbines. The people with the money to undertake such research are the Government and the wind farm developers who have nothing to gain and everything to lose from such research.
5. It is not merely the loudness of the noise that causes problems but also the quality of the sound. The impulsive, repetitive nature of wind turbine noise makes it much more difficult to put it out of your mind than a more natural or variable sound. Also wind turbine noise contains a low frequency element that can be perceived but not heard below the audible threshold.
6. Wind turbines obviously generate maximum noise when the wind is blowing and this can be at any time of day. So in the middle of the night when the background noise level is low and people want to sleep the turbines may well be at full throttle. Yet the Government guidelines allow higher noise from turbines at night than in the day!

For a recent review of noise and wind turbines click here (Link - Wind Turbines & Noise). In addition the Scottish Executive in 2007 have produced planning guidelines (SPP6) for renewable energy that recommend, when considering initial locations for wind farms over 20MW ( this scheme will be 20 - 24MW), a separation distance of 2km between the turbines and the edge of villages should be used. In this particular scheme the map shows that a 2km radius will include nearly half of Linton 

The final reality check is the story of the Davies family from Deeping St Nicholas who live over 900m away from an eight turbine wind farm. As soon as this wind farm became operational last year they started experiencing noise problems which reached such a state that they have had to rent another house further away from the wind farm to get an uninterrupted night’s sleep. Yet the wind farm met the Government guidelines.

Given all the above people are rightly concerned that there is no guarantee that the proposed wind farm will not cause noise and health problems. Once the turbines are up the experience of residents in Cumbria suggest that getting anything done about any nuisance may be difficult to achieve. ( link to David Brierely presentation)

In this section are links to several documents on Noise and Health

 Return to top of page.

Ecology

Ecology

This wind farm represents a major industrial development in the middle of the countryside and as such there will inevitably be impacts on the ecology of the area. Enertrag will carry out a full Environmental Impact Assessment on the ecological impacts and once that is published we will be able to critique the work they will have done. In the meantime we are building our own picture of the ecological activity on the site and in the surrounding countryside so if you know of any rare plants or animals or see uncommon birds or any bats then please email us with the details including the time and place where you saw them.

Birds and Bats

Because these turbines are so huge, even though the blades will only be rotating at around 19 revolutions per minute, the blade tips will still be travelling at 200mph. This represents a considerable collision risk to birds and bats in flight. Raptors, amongst birds, are most at risk as when hunting their attention is focused on their prey rather than on their surroundings. Hence they are less likely to avoid a fast travelling rotor blade than a bird in normal flight.

There are reports from Spain and the USA of wind farms causing considerable deaths amongst raptors, including golden eagles, but most of these were the result of being on migration routes. This will not be the case here but there are numerous raptors in the area , including 5 types of owl, red kite and buzzards amongst others and these will be under threat from this wind farm proposal. Even if birds are not struck by the blades there is some evidence that they will change their behaviour and tend to avoid sites of wind farms and hence the area will suffer a loss of wildlife an important amenity for people enjoying the countryside.

Bats are among the most highly protected species in the UK and it is a criminal offence to kill any bat. It appears that there may be a warming of the nacelles, the body of the turbine containing the generator, which attracts insects and bats follow. Research in Europe has shown considerable numbers of bat mortalities at wind farms particularly near wooded areas. Anyone walking the area near the proposed wind farm will know that bats are present and again the wind farm will pose an increased risk of fatality.

Wind farm developers will quote the lack of any concrete evidence about the number of bird and bat kills but they are the only people in a position to monitor for this and even if post commissioning surveys are carried out the chances of carcasses remaining in-situ for any length of time is minimal in the real world with carrion feeders around.

Terrestrial Ecology

The construction of the wind farm is a major project and will have implications for the terrestrial ecology of the area. The environmental impact assessment undertaken by Enertrag will include a survey of the area. Once this is published we will be reviewing it to ensure it is comprehensive and correctly identifies the scope and severity of the adverse impacts.

  Return to top of page.

T.V. Reception

TV Reception

Wind farms degrade the analogue TV signal. This is because they have the same effect as a tall building where the rotating turbines lie between the aerial and the transmitter. This is particularly a problem in this region which is served by a small number of transmitters and hence the easiest solution of merely turning the aerial to a different transmitter is not always possible.

Given that the Sandy transmitter will be the main source of TV signals a look at the map indicates that Linton, Hadstock and Bartlow may be affected. The effect extends up to 3/5km from the turbines.

Given that watching the TV is a major part of many people’s social life any interruption represents a reduction in their quality of life. Whilst Enertrag will agree to a planning condition under which they will be responsible for putting any problems right the issue becomes one of extent and timing.

At the Burton Wold Wind Farm at Kettering over 400 homes had their TV reception degraded and Freeview boxes had to be provided.

Given that reception is affected for everyone at the same time, the moment the wind turbines are operational, it may take some days or weeks foe Enertrag to investigate all the complaints, agree that it was the fault of the wind farm and get the problem solved. There is no guarantee from Enertrag with regard to the timescales involved. 24 hours is a long time for people to wait if it means missing a favourite programme.

Also if Freeview is the solution then any additional TVs in a house bought after the commissioning of the wind farm will involve an extra cost to the householder that will not be covered by Enertrag.

  Return to top of page.

Air Safety

 Air Safety

Structures as large as these wind turbines will have an impact on the operation of the radar at Marshalls Airport.

Government Planning Policy on renewable energy (PPS22) is very clear that it is the responsibility of the developer to resolve any issues regarding air safety before putting in any planning application. Enertrag have not said that they will delay any planning application to conform. Given the importance of safety in the skies for all the residents of Cambridge and the surrounding area we ask that Enertrag does give that commitment.

  Return to top of page.

Highways

Highways

The A1307, as it passes through Linton, is known by local residents to be an abnormally dangerous road. It is common sense that drivers as they pass such a large wind farm will naturally have their eyes drawn towards the turbines. On many roads passing wind farms, where there is no interruption to the flow of traffic, this may have no adverse consequences. However, where traffic conditions already require full concentration by drivers any increase in the chance of distraction will lead to an increase in the accident rate.

This was recognised at the Boxworth Public Inquiry where the Inspector cited the danger of siting turbines close to the A14 as one of his reasons for dismissing the appeal by the wind farm developer.

The fact that the wind farm is proposed so close to such a dangerous road is another reason why this is an inappropriate site for this wind farm.

 Return to top of page.

House Prices

House Prices 

Although house prices are not a valid reason for a refusal under planning law it is still an impact that people have to take into account when making up their mind about the balance between the positive benefit and negative impact from this particular proposal. As wind farms have become bigger and closer to habitations so the impact on house values must have increased.

The turbines suggested here at up to 130m will be taller than any yet built in England and by being located in a densely populated part of Cambridgeshire must have an impact on property values. Yet Enertrag in their leaflet state that there is no evidence showing that wind farms impact upon house prices in the UK. This seems to go against common sense because if you have the choice between living in a village with a large wind farm looming over it or one without then it seems logical to expect that most people would prefer the latter.

Looking at the evidence also seems to refute Enertrag’s contention. In 2004 District Judge Michael Buckley ruled that the value of a house in Marston, Cumbria fell by 20% because of the construction of seven 40m high wind turbines 500m away. The couple who bought the house won a £15,000 compensation order because the vendors, who had campaigned against the wind farm’s construction, failed to disclose their knowledge of the wind farm.

The Judge determined that the wind turbines, which became operational in June 1999, had spoiled the view from the home and affected the buyer’s quality of life.

The Judge said that the noise, visual intrusion and flickering of light through the turbine blades reduced the value by a fifth. He said "the effect is significant and it has a significant effect on the property. It is an unacceptable incursion into the countryside. It ruins the place."

The turbines proposed for this wind farm are an order of magnitude bigger at 125/130m and with blades some 3 times longer. The turbines in the judgement were even smaller than the turbine at Wood Green.

In 2004 the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors surveyed their members and concluded "60% of the sample suggested that wind farms decrease the value of residential properties where the development is within view.." The report concluded that "Once a wind farm is completed, the negative impact on property values continues but becomes less severe after two years or so after completion."

Remember again in 2004 the comments would have been on smaller turbines as few of the current 125m turbines had yet been constructed.

Enertrag in their leaflet then quote a report (Link to report) published in 2007 by the RICS and Oxford Brookes University which they say reaffirms that there is no empirical evidence to demonstrate a direct link between operating wind farms and house prices. However if you look at the report it takes all the property transactions within 5 miles around two wind farms in Cornwall with turbine heights of 54m and 57m respectively, again hugely different to the 130m here. It doesn’t compare prices before and after the wind farm construction it just averages all transactions to get an average price at different distances from the wind farms irrespective of the size, location or decorative state of the properties concerned. This is so flawed it is laughable and it is no wonder that the researcher’s conclusion was that the study was inconclusive!! If this is the type of research that is claimed to show no relationship between wind farms and house prices then wind farm developers should be ashamed of themselves. For example it showed that terraced houses and semi detached houses within 1 mile of a wind farm were 54% and 35% respectively cheaper than similar houses at a distance of 4 miles. Yet this information, flawed as it is, is not mentioned.

For actual evidence closer to home one only has to look at the situation in Boxworth during the period whilst that wind farm application was moving through the planning process. There were a number of examples of houses not selling and people having to rent rather than sell. Indeed one purchase was exchanged on the day the Inquiry decision was announced as the purchasers would not have proceeded if approval had been given.

Given that the planning process can last over two years this planning blight is a major problem if you have to move in that period even if eventually the wind farm planning application is turned down! Given that many people’s hope of a retirement unaffected by financial worries depends on down sizing and releasing some of the equity in their house the threat of a wind farm can be a major source of stress and financial pressure.

 Return to top of page.

Linton Zoo

Linton Zoo

Linton Zoo (Link to Linton Zoo) is one of the major tourist attractions in the area with 90,000 visitors a year. It has an international reputation for breeding endangered species and is also heavily involved in conservation and education particularly with local schools. The Zoo is one of the closest buildings to the turbines at only 1km away.

There are major concerns about what effect the presence of such large turbines will have on the important work at Linton Zoo. Breeding endangered species is sensitive work at the best of times so anything that might upset the animals must be considered very carefully. One of the main problems is in the sound that wind turbines produce as the blades rotate, particularly low frequency sound and vibration.

It has been known for a long time that animals hear and react to sounds that are outside the range of human ears. One only has to think of dog whistles at the high end of the frequency range. What may be less well known is that low pitched sound or "infrasound" is used by animals for communication. The advantage for these animals is that these sounds travel much further than higher pitched noises through the air and earth. This makes communication over long distances and through dense forests possible. It also increases the threat to the Zoo as the sounds will impact animals at greater distances.

Whales, dolphins, porpoises and many fish are sensitive to low frequency tremors and the former use sound waves to communicate. On land elephants, giraffes, rhinos, okapi to name a few have been shown to communicate via infrasound. Giraffes are particularly interesting because until recently they were thought to be "mute". Birds from pigeons to cassowary are also sensitive to infrasound.

The most dramatic example of the impact of infrasound was during the tsunami in 2004. Animals seem to have been able to "sense" the approaching tidal wave and move away to higher ground. Thus for example in Sri Lanka, where there were over 100,000 human deaths at the National Wildlife Park at Yala, which houses elephant, buffalo, monkeys and wild cats, no animal corpses were found days after the tsunami and yet only 30 of the 250 vehicles which entered the park on the day of the tsunami returned to base.

It is likely that the animals were responding to the infrasound and vibration generated by the earthquake and which travelled faster than the wave itself.

Infrasound is generated by a variety of natural and man-made sources, what is known is that wind farms generate infrasound and that it is below the threshold of hearing for humans.

No research that we can find has been done into the impact of large wind turbines on wild animals and so no guarantee can be given by Enertrag that there will not be any adverse impact on the animals at Linton Zoo and the breeding programmes that the Zoo undertake.

Given that the wind blows all across the UK, although interestingly harder in most other areas, it seems unnecessary to place some of the biggest turbines in the country 1km away from a zoo with an internationally recognised endangered species breeding programme.

 .

 Return to top of page

Linton Zoo Positioning

Linton Zoo have been considering their position very carefully over the last few weeks and have issued the following positioning statement which indicates their position:

"Linton Zoo fully recognises the threat that climate change poses to all species living on our planet and accepts that generating more carbon-free renewable energy, along with everyone reducing their individual carbon footprint, will help in reducing the impact of climate change. This is a subject we teach many school children every year!
The location of Linton Zoo, Cambridgeshire’s Wildlife Breeding Centre, has proven to be a good choice. Over the last 35 years Linton Zoo has grown into a well respected centre for breeding endangered species, working closely with other zoos and government organisations around the world, in a bid to save some of the worlds most endangered species. Linton Zoo has a world wide reputation for having success with many sensitive mammals, birds, reptiles and invertebrates and boasts many first and sustainable breeding credits.
One of our concerns is the infrasound, it is well known that animals are more sensitive to noise than humans, particularly for high and low frequencies beyond the range of human hearing. It is also known that wind turbines produce infrasound, low frequency sound that travels much further through the air and ground than normal audible sound. Given the nearest turbines will be only around 1000m away, the Zoo will be subject to infrasound whenever the blades on the turbines are rotating
Success in breeding endangered species is dependant on maintaining a stress-free environment and anything that disturbs that environment puts at risk the whole breeding programme. 
Enertrag, the wind farm developer, has provided no evidence to prove that there will not be an adverse impact on the vital work that we are undertaking here at the Zoo.
Given that the wind resource is available everywhere, and indeed is stronger in most other parts of the UK, there is no need for a wind farm in this particular location.
Therefore, until Enertrag can show conclusively that there will be no adverse impact from the turbines on our activities at the Zoo Linton Zoo is opposed to this proposed wind farm development.
If the wind farm is approved and built and problems occur subsequently common sense says that it will be very difficult to get the problem solved if it requires the removal of turbines given the level of commercial investment involved.
Therefore, it is vital that the precautionary principle is applied and a more suitable site, with no potential adverse impacts on internationally recognised sensitive sites such as Linton Zoo, is found.
This position seems very sensible given the importance of the Zoo's rare breeding programme and the fact that it has been established in its present location for decades. Why put this work at potential risk by placing a wind farm so close? It seems totally crazy."

Construction

 Return to top of page

Construction

The construction of the wind farm will take 6-12 months and will represent a major construction project. There are no details yet about access routes, working conditions etc. These will become clear in the Environmental Statement accompanying the final planning application. However, the blades and sections of the tower come in loads each some 40/50m long. Accessing any site with such abnormal loads can be tricky and may result in temporary works having to be carried out to remove road infrastructure to enable access round corners. We will be reviewing the impact on local people and services once we see the final details.

Each turbine will need concrete footings containing some 300 cubic metres of concrete and during construction of these there will probably be in excess of 100 HGV movements each day. It is clear that such movements along already dangerous roads will adversely affect the local road network and cause inconvenience to users of the roads in the surrounding area.

  Return to top of page.