The Brontë Society is very disappointed with the decision to
grant planning permission to Banks Renewables for a 60m wind mast on Thornton
Moor.
We feel that this decision demonstrates a regrettable lack
of consideration for a heritage landscape which is unique, as well as a complete
disregard for the negative impact which this will have upon the environment and
the local economy. Although
the wind mast itself will be in place for a limited period, after which the mast
will be removed, the structure will, for that period of time, be visible from
the Haworth moorlands, and is likely to be followed up with four enormous
turbines.
The Brontë Society feels
there should be no further pollution of the skyline and regrets the erection of
this structure which, even if of a temporary nature, has implications for the
future permanent defacement of the views from the Haworth moorlands. Haworth
and its moorlands have international cultural and historical significance and
any proposals which have an adverse impact on this significance are to be
disapproved of.
Chairman of The
Brontë Society Council, Sally McDonald, said, "These moorlands inspired and are
reflected in the writings of the Brontës especially Emily Brontë’s Wuthering
Heights. The wild and beautiful moorland is a significant part of the
Brontë story.
Interest in the
lives and works of the Brontës brings thousands of visitors to Haworth and
Yorkshire year in year out.
Erecting a substantial wind mast and still more so four huge turbines
three years from now will change the character of this moorland forever."
In recent weeks The Brontë Society has received an
overwhelming level of interest and support from all over the world and we would
like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude and to reaffirm our
commitment to Haworth’s cultural and historical significance.
Contacts & Further Information:
Sally McDonald (Chairman, Brontë Society c/o Brontë Parsonage Museum 01535 642323)
Andrew McCarthy (Director, Brontë Parsonage Museum 01535 640194 - andrew.mccarthy@bronte.org.uk
10 comments:
It is disgraceful vandalism. These turbines have a very short life before the motors start to give problems. The mentainance costs are terrific and they will soon reach the stage when they are abandoned because no on will pay to keep them running.
Let's be clear about this - Banks Renewables is in this business for the money - the subsidies that is. Wind power can only ever provide a small percentage of our energy needs in the future even if we (heaven forbid) covered the entire country with wind factories (why call them farms?), including the slopes of mountains in the Lake District, Wales and Scotland. Turbines have their place, but not on this historic moor. What's this about 'cheap to build' then? Did I get that right - twelve million pounds to provide electricity for 4,400 homes? Are the government subsidies factored in to that? Is that really cost-effective?
You are right Maggie, the government subsidies are the deciding factor here. Look at other European countries and they are reaching the disillusionment stage with wind power - they have found that thousands of turbines have not led to any conventional power stations being closed - in fact conventionally-produced electricity is needed in extra quantities when the wind is not strong enough. The turbines only produce the 'advertised' amount of electricity in one-hundred percent ideal conditions - and when it is extra cold (just when the power is needed) the wind is sometimes low. Funnily enough, the things have to be stopped when it is blowing too strongly. Anyway Spain began withdrawing subsidies as long ago as 2002, and in my country Germany all sorts of problems have begun to arise in spite of the enthusiasm which the government there has dedicated to the issue of energy. You might be connected if you are with Eon. Seven years ago an official German Agency examination found that increasing the amount of wind power would increase consumer costs 3.7 times more than otherwise and that the theoretical reduction of greenhouse gas emissions could be achieved much more cheaply by simply installing filters on existing fossil-fuel plants.
I fully agree with all of you.
I visited your beautiful museum and moorland in 1995 and I thought I was in Heaven. Well, almost. These goofy energy people or whatever they like to call themselves are in reality sad little people who would love nothing more than to have no more humans living on this earth, only bugs and animals. They are Godless and quite ill. Just be thankful that you have no dictator named Obama. It would be far worse and no one would bother to ask your opinion.
Good luck to you. Maybe if enough people complain and the city or village starts losing money they will listen to reason ??
Alicia
River Forest, IL
USA
Horrified by the previous comment. No-one has a window into another's soul, you cannot possibly say that 'they' are Godless - or ill, come to that. They just have another way of looking at things. If you walk virtually anywhere in the countryside you'll see huge, ugly electricity pylons. These are far, far uglier than any wind turbine, yet no-one gets hot under the collar about them as they're a part of the landscape. So will turbines become.
And as for everything being driven by money - do you use it? Do you earn it? Enough said.
You make a good case, Heidi. We should use facts and figures as much as we can.
We do not help the case if we confuse the issue by bringing in American politics. What on earth has President Obama got to do with the wind mast?
If you DID live under a dictatorship you'd have been arrested by now, for that comment.
Why call them farms? Well car factories produce cars, toilet factories produce toilets... do wind farms produce wind? No.
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