OPPONENTS of a proposal to build a wind farm on land near Okehampton have produced photographs they say show the dramatic visual impact the scheme would have on the Dartmoor landscape. The images went on display at a public meeting held in the Charter Hall last Wednesday as opponents vowed to fight on in their campaign against the proposal for a three-turbine wind farm at Yelland Farm, two and a half miles from Okehampton. A helium filled balloon was last week tethered at 81m ? the height of the proposed turbines ? and pictures from three different locations, Meldon Reservoir, Ashbury Golf Course and the centre of Okehampton, were taken. The pictures allowed opponents to create a composite image depicting one turbine on the horizon to contrast with images produced in the developer?s environmental impact assessment. Noel Edmonds, chairman of the Renewable Energy Foundation, was a guest speaker at the meeting, which was packed by concerned local residents. He said wind turbines were not about green power, and people should be under no illusions, it was the profits to be made by landowners and developers which motivated such applications. Mr Edmonds estimated the scheme would cost taxpayers £500,000 a year in term of subsidies which allowed the wind industry to prosper at the expense of other types of renewable energy. He said: ?The Danes and the Germans are screaming to us across the ocean, ?It?s too expensive?. They think we are barking mad to be going down this road. ?Wind power has a future but not in the manner this development is being planned.? Ray Quirke, chairman of Okehampton and Dartmoor Against Turbines Action Group, called on those at the meeting to lend manpower to support the campaign and continue sending letters and making their views known to people in power. He said: ?We need your help ? we can?t do it on our own ? to save our countryside from these mechanical triffids that will serve as a monument to man?s greed and stupidity. Our countryside is not renewable.? Malcolm Bell, head of South West Tourism, spoke on the possible impact of the proposal on tourism. He said: ?Wind turbines are quite attractive in certain areas, but they are totally unattractive in others.? Mr Bell said he wanted developers to conduct a tourism impact survey, and pointed to the evidence from a survey carried out by the Cumbrian Tourist Board recently which found 19% of those questioned would not visit an area with wind turbines and 39% said they would perceive turbines to be a disadvantage to an area. John Burnett, retiring Liberal Democrat MP for West Devon and Torridge, said the application had wide implications: ?This application does not just affect Okehampton, it affects every national park in the country. It is a national issue. ?We must rise up and speak with one voice and everyone will listen.? Mr Burnett said if the proposal went through, those whose business was affected or whose property value was reduced, could potentially have recourse to legal action against the developers, the landowners and the planning authority. Members of the audience raised concerns about the possible devaluation of their properties, shadow-flicker effect and noise levels. West Coast Energy say many public opinion studies have shown widespread support for windfarms. For example, the Scottish Executive commissioned MORI Scotland two years ago to conduct a survey among people living close to Scotland?s operational windfarms, Public Attitudes to Windfarms. The survey found 45% of people living within 5km of the local windfarm felt the overall impact on the area had been positive, with 6% saying the impact had been negative. West Devon Borough Council has received more than 1,100 letters of objection to the planning application. Stephen Gill, borough head of planning and development, said: ?It is an exceptionally high level of response. During my ten years here at West Devon, we have only had one application that has generated more interest than this.? He said the planning department was aiming to bring the application before next month?s planning committee meeting, but due to the vast amount of detailed representations received, the process could take longer.
