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Written by:
Admin
Published on:
November 28, 2024
December 1, 2024
Naseby Energy Ltd have a proposal for 11 Wind Turbines to be installed on land between South Kilworth and Welford. Links to information about the proposal and parishioners views, for and against, are provided here.
An Alternative View?
We were pleased to receive the Parish Council’s recent request for parishioners’ views regarding the Welford wind turbine planning application.
We live in Hemploe View at the bottom of the Belt, as the name of our house suggests, we have a fine view of the Hemploe and the countryside where the proposed wind turbines and solar array will be sited. We invested in renewable and sustainable living when we built our house ten years ago. We therefore hope that our opinion is worth being heard.
We do not think the wind turbines will have any adverse visual effects,and we are happy to be able to see them from our property and also during the regular, daily walks that we both take in the area where they will be sited. Although we understand that there will be some unavoidable disruption during the construction, this will soon pass.
Despite some concerns when they were built - no-one seems to be upset or bothered by the eleven turbines at Swinford which can be clearly seen from the village. In our opinion, they have become a not-unattractive part of our landscape - beauty (or otherwise) is in the eye of thebeholder, but to us they are somewhat graceful and interesting silhouettes especially when seen against the setting sun.
We admit that we do not know the exact impact that wind turbines have on our ecology, especially birds, but as nature-lovers and keen birdwatchers, we do know that whatever the adverse impact will be - it is far outweighed by the mortal danger that climate warming is already inflicting and will further inflict upon our wildlife. However we generate our energy there will be consequences and side effects but please take a moment to think about the catastrophic damage caused by fossil fuels – not least the deaths of millions of seabirds and other marine life by crude oilspills, oceans full of plastic (an oil-based product) and suchlike.The big picture clearly shows us that renewable sources cause the least damage of any energy production.
And it is undisputed that, over the last 50 years, British wildlife populations have experienced a staggering 73% decline(source- the Worldwide Fund for Nature: 2024)– this cannot be attributed to wind turbines or any other renewable energy source but largely due to the increase of uncontrolled burning of fossil fuels during the same period. Furthermore,as this technology advances, the providers are evermore mitigating against ecological damage by landscaping, tree-planting and possibly providing not less but a more nature-friendly habitat – in many cases these renewable schemes are sited on farmland that is a flora and fauna desert. They can bring back the small fields, hedgerows and trees that have been decimated by modern industrial agriculture. Footpaths and rights of way will remain protected under the scheme.
There appears to be fear that proximity to wind turbines may lead to a decrease in house values - this is scare-mongering and has no factual basis - research properly and plenty of reports can be found commissioned by well-respected institutions that say the opposite, for example: "Windfarms have no negative impact on the prices of property within a 5km radius of turbines, and can even push up house prices in some areas, according to an analysis of 82,000 transactions over the past two decades by the Centre for Economics and Business Research."
There are images in the P.C’s pamphlet of models of the turbines set against ‘scale models of a typical house, a typical church, Big Ben’. Perhaps this photo should include ‘scale models’ of an oil rig, a fossil-fuelled power station with cooling towers and even of a nuclear plant such as Hinckley Point with its attendant huge distribution power line pylons? What would you rather see on your skyline – or would you welcome shale oil mining or fracking on our doorstep?
Once the turbines have reached the end of their life their removal is quick and easy, the natural habitat hardly disturbed, indeed possibly improved, compare this to the horrendous scars left by fossil fuel extraction or the thousands of years of potential pollution by nuclear waste!
Reading some of the comments on the Northamptonshire Planning Portal, it struck us as ironic to read that some respondents talked of our historic Grand Union Canal being desecrated by wind turbines! Were these objectors around in the 18thand 19thcenturies, would they have complained of the desecration of the bucolic Avon Valley by Thomas Telford, James Brindley and co who were carving the navigation through their pristine countryside, or indeed the railway that followed?
Renewable generation will ultimately lower the cost of electricity to us all and will make the UK self-sufficient and ‘energy secure’ i.e.safe from the conflicts and other global issues that detrimentally effect the price of oil and gas. We may even be able to become a net exporter of electricity – to the benefit of us all. We understand that there may be some financial benefit to the Parish from this particular scheme – if that is the case then this is a bonus.
As grandparents, we are far more concerned about the future impact of the potential climate catastrophe if we do not take man-made global warming seriously and transition 100% to renewable generation as soon as is possible. It is encouraging to see that last year more than half of the UK’s electricity was renewably sourced, let us do our tiny bit to make this figure much higher.
Alec & Steph Wilson, HemploeView
Parish Council approve a letter sent to residents via SK News, the SK Website and the SK Email list to canvas their views on the Wind Farm proposals.
If you didn’t have the opportunity to go to the exhibition in the Village Hall you should know about the proposed wind farm. It may affect all South Kilworth Parishioners. Below is a brief summary
What is it?
The initial proposal was for 11 wind turbines 200m tall. To put the size of into context, the turbines at Swinford are 120m tall. The photo (missing) shows scale models of a typical house, a typical church, Big Ben and a 200 m wind turbine. More details are on the Welford Wind Farm website: https://welfordwind.co.uk/
Where is it?
A map is included on the website but it’s a large area to the south and southeast of South Kilworth on the Northampton side of the reservoir stretching towards Stanford
and Hemploe Hill.
Pro’s
Should deliver carbon free energy contributing towards the government’s Net Zero target. Welford Wind Farm have said that they will make a contribution every year (dependant on actual electricity generated) to local communities, including South Kilworth. This might mean lower bills or support for better facilities (to be determined). Possible local employment opportunities.
Con’s
Some residents in the village will likely be affected by the relative closeness to the turbines, possibly by noise, shadow, and flicker from sunlight through the blades.The reservoir is a haven for wildlife, particularly local and migratory birds. The habitat isvery likely to be affected similarly by noise, shadow, and flicker as well as bird strikes.The wind farm is located behind an area which our Neighbourhood Plan identified as a view that should be protected. The legal protection the Neighbourhood Plan gives us against development ceases at the border of our parish. Potentially the view over and beyond the reservoir would be badly affected.There is evidence that the valuations of houses throughout the Parish could be affected adversely. The closer and more visible the wind farm then the greater the effect. There are many comments about this on the internet, some indicating between 3 and 13% impact. You can find one such site if you search for: renewableenergyhub.co.uk/main/wind-turbines/how-a-wind-turbine-is-likely-to-affect-your-property-price
The Parish Council are prepared to organize a team to oppose the wind farm should there be enough support. An email address has been set up for you to express your views: skwindfarmreview@gmail.com Please make it clear where you live and whether you are neutral, for or against the windfarm.
Tell West Northamptonshire Council what you think. You can see the planning proposal and comment if you search for application
2024/5135/SCOP on West Northamptonshire Council website.
You can make your own comments about the plan on the website. The plan is still developing so you may need to keep revisiting.
Email from the developer, Naseby Energy, on Welford Wind Farm proposals following the public event in South Kilworth Village Hall on 11thNovember.
Since we launched our consultation on the Welford Wind Farm we have received a lot of feedback, both in person and in writing, and it’s clear we need to take careful stock of this as we further develop the detail of the proposals.
Whilst we had a programme which included another public event on 12thDecemberat Welford Village Hall (and attending meetings with various parish councils in the next couple of weeks), we have decided that it would be most beneficial for all parties if we took a bit more time to consider how to respond to local views before we continued the discussion.
We will therefore be rescheduling the forthcoming event on 12thDecember and our attendance at the parish council meetings (including theSouth Kilworth Parish Council meeting on Tuesday 10thDecember) and will be back in touch again soon with an update on nextsteps and when we will be ready to provide you all with the further detail you need. We’ll write to you all again when ready and continue to keep the website up to date.
In the meantime the consultation period will continue, so please do continue to send us your thoughts via email to welfordwind@torandco.com. If you would like to discuss any aspect of the proposal over the telephone please contact me on my mobile number below.
Kind regards
TimHancock
Headof Planning
NasebyEnergy
Email:tim.hancock@nasebyenergy.com
Tel.07774 901899
Naseby Energy hold an exhibition of their plans in South Kilworth Village Hall.
Their proposal can be viewed at www.welfordwind.co.uk
There is an application to West Northants Planning Authority for a Scoping Opinion, in advance of a Planning Application.
I am writing to inform you that Naseby Energy is in the early stages of exploring a potential wind farm proposal in the Welford and Stanford-uponAvon area of West Northants. The area of search is bounded by the River Avon to the west, the A14 in the south, South Kilworth Road in the north and Northampton Road to the east. The area of search is located wholly within the parishes of Welford and Stanford-upon-Avon within West Northants Council. We have contacted these Parish Councils and local ward councillors of West Northants Council. We have also written to other local parish councils and local ward councillors whose boundaries adjoin or lie close to the area of search. These include the parishes of Clay Coton, Elkington and Lilbourne within West Northants Council and the parishes of South Kilworth, Swinford and Westrill and Starmore in Harborough District of Leicestershire. We are holding public exhibitions in November and December to present our initial proposal for a wind farm. Members of our team will be pleased to welcome you, answer your questions and receive your feedback. Monday 11th November, 3pm to 7pm at South Kilworth Village Hall LE17 6DS Thursday 12th December, 3pm to 7pm at Welford Village Hall NN6 6HU
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