Wind farm 'would wreck Lake District views'

Plans to build a wind farm on the edge of the Lake District would have a devastating impact on one of the country's most dramatic landscapes, Sir Chris Bonington, the legendary mountaineer, has claimed.

By Patrick Sawer Last Updated: 5:30PM GMT 06 Dec 2008
The siting of nine turbines less than a mile from the edge of the Lake District National Park would "pollute" views of Blencathra, which climbs 2,848 feet (868 metres) above the northern fells, he said.
A proposal by West Coast Energy, a wind energy developer, to erect the 335-foot-tall turbines at Berrier Farm, as part of the Government's drive for renewable energy, has met with a chorus of local opposition.
Sir Chris, who has scaled some of the world's toughest mountains, including the Eiger, Annapurna and Everest said: "I'm absolutely appalled by these proposals to put these giant wind farms so close to the Lake District and only just outside the actual National Park. They would be very visible from the park and the Lake District and by anyone approaching the Lake District.
"A lot of scientific authorities have questioned just how effective a lot of these wind farms are going to be. It's a windy place, the Lake District, but it's not that windy.
"You might end up polluting one of the most beautiful parts of Britain for very little benefit."
He has been joined in his condemnation of the scheme by Melvyn Bragg, the broadcaster, as well as residents and politicians, who say views of the area would be ruined, with no economic or environmental benefit for locals.
They say a wind farm at Berrier Hill would be visible for miles and have a damaging impact on tourism, on which many small businesses in the Lake District depend. Critics claim the turbines would be visible from the M6 and the A66, which provide sweeping views of the National Park.
Sir Christopher Audland, former director general for energy at the European Commission, who lives in the Lake District, said: "The visual impact of these wind turbines on vast areas of the National Park and its surroundings would be enormous. There would be clear damage to the county's natural heritage and to its biggest creator of employment – tourism."
Lord Bragg said: "Blencathra is one of the great fortress mountains of the northern Lake District. It is majestic and wonderfully wild. This will be ruined should the proposed wind turbines at Berrier be supported."
But West Coast Energy said the wind farm would bring economic and environmental benefits to the area, generating 59,000 MW of clean and sustainable electricity a year – enough to meet the annual needs of over 12,500 homes. It said the wind farm would contribute to the fight against climate change and even attract tourists.
West Coast Energy's proposal states: "There will be a change to the landscape, but if Government and regional targets on renewable energy from onshore wind are to be met it must be accepted that wind turbines do have a place within the landscape and countryside. The environmental, social and economic benefits of the proposed development outweigh its relatively low impact on the local environment."
Eden district council is consulting on the Berrier Hill proposal and is due to discuss West Coast Energy's planning application in February.
Meanwhile plans for the second biggest offshore windfarm in the world, eight miles off a holiday coast, are to be challenged in a judicial review after it was given the go-ahead by the Department of Energy last week without a public inquiry.
Opponents of the 250 turbine scheme claim it would be clearly visible between Llandudno and Prestatyn and could damage the North Wales tourist industry. They would provide, with adjoining windfarms, enough electricity to power 680,000 homes.
John Reay, chairman of Save our Scenery said : “The government has been heavy-handed and ignored the democratic objections of Conwy county council and community councils.”
He added: "What has happened is a disgrace because there has been no regard to local wishes. People come here to enjoy peace and glorious views – not to be confronted by an industrial seascape."
Energy Secretary Ed Milliband said the development, by Npower Renables Ltd, will mean "a powerhouse for renewable energy" and help to combat climate change. The go-ahead was described as "fantastic news" by The British Wind Energy Association.