Download Planning Application WAT/1611/11/12 . Westmill Wind Farm , Bonus

The Planning Officer
Vale of the White Horse District Council
Abbey House
Abingdon
OX14 3JN
8 June 2003
Dear Mr. Dijksman,
Planning Application WAT/1611/11/12 .
Westmill Wind Farm ,
Bonus wind turbines
I am writing in support of the planning application for 5 Bonus Wind Turbines at Westmill
Farm, Watchfield.
I wish the Council to approve this proposal for what will be Oxfordshire’s first wind farm for
the following 10 reasons:
1. According to the United Nations, Climate Change is the most serious
worldwide environmental threat we face. The UNFCC suggests that we urgently
need to reduce our CO2 emissions to reduce the threat of Climate Change.
Westmill Wind Farm will save 11,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
2. Climate Change caused by CO2 emissions is estimated by Christian Aid to be
likely in the next 20 years to put half the world’s population at risk of drought
or flood. Most of these people live in the world’s most economically vulnerable
countries and are therefore least able to cope with further ‘’natural’’ disasters.
3. Local flooding and our own changing weather patterns will all get worse unless we
reduce our CO2 emissions as fast as possible – the Royal Commission on
Environmental Pollution recommended a reduction of 60% of CO2 emissions
by 2050. To achieve this reduction and to slow down Climate Change we need
on-shore wind farms, such as Westmill Wind Farm, now, whilst other renewable
energy technologies are developed.
4. All forms of electricity production have an environmental cost. We need to
take responsibility for the environmental consequences of our own electricity
generation and consumption with local electricity generation, using local energy
resources and having only local environmental impacts. The only environmental
impact of Westmill Wind Farm is that the turbines are tall and they will be clearly
visible in the local landscape.
5. It is hypocritical to expect future generations to pick up the environmental costs
and toxic legacy of our energy rich lifestyles, as will be the case for fossil fuel and
nuclear generated electricity – but not for wind, wood, water or sun generated
electricity.
6. According to the Governments recently published White Paper on Energy, in the
next 10 years we will become a net importer of oil and gas and all of our
economically available coal reserves will be exhausted. By 2020 we could be
dependent on imported energy for three-quarters of our total primary
energy needs. We therefore need to make the most of all of our indigenous
energy sources, wind, water, sun and wood to reduce our dependency on
imported primary energy. We therefore need onshore windfarms such as
Westmill Wind Farm.
7. We need to use our own energy resources where possible rather than: A) import
energy from half way around the world because it’s cheap (half of the coal burnt
at Didcot power station comes from South Africa! ) or B) invade and occupy
energy rich countries, in order to secure their oil supplies.
8. Local ownership of local power generation, as will happen with the new cooperative for the community ownership of 2 of the 5 turbines at Westmill Wind
Farm, will retain the economic benefits for local people.
9. Sustainable development and methods of Energy production, which don’t
consume the Earth’s finite resources, need to be promoted with all speed to save
those finite resources. Westmill Wind Farm will pay back the amount of Energy
produced in its fabrication, construction and commissioning in just 4 months. All
the electricity produced thereafter will entail no further losses.
10. The turbines will not ‘desecrate the landscape’ as claimed by CPRE – they will of
course change the local landscape, for better or worse depending on your
aesthetics, but it is a transient change. They are only there for 25 years – less
time than the previous site usage, an airfield with several large hangers. After
they are removed the landscape then reverts to how it was. For many people the
turbines will be an inspiring addition to the landscape, and will be a symbol for
positive sustainable development of which the Vale can be proud.
For the sake of future generations we need to be changing our methods of generating
electricity as quickly as we can. I urge the Council not to waste this opportunity for
generating enough electricity to supply the domestic electricity requirements of
approximately 9,000 people (equivalent to the combined populations of both Faringdon and
Shrivenham), with clean and sustainable electricity.
Please APPROVE this application.
Yours sincerely