Matterdale wind turbine
the planning application for a 34. 2m (112ft) wind turbine was submitted by ulcat row farm to the lake district national park authority on thursday 29th march and made public on april 5th 2012. Full details of the application (ref: 7/2012/3021) can be viewed on the ldpa planning website: www. Lakedistrict. Gov. Uk
public opposition to the proposed wind turbine is crucial to getting the planning application turned down. You can voice any objections you may have by writing to ldpa. Whilst i am a firm believer in appropriate renewable forms of energy, it is apparent that this proposal is inappropriate for the following reasons:
as a result of it’s size, scale and extent, the turbine will dominate views from many points in the surrounding area. It will appear as an enormous, discordant, artificial structure in a predominantly rural, agricultural landscape. It is not sensitively located or designed and has no regard for the character and quality of the local landscape. It will also be harmful to the countryside setting of matterdale and its surrounding valleys and villages. There are scheduled ancient monument sites, attractive historic conservation villages and important listed buildings within the zone of visual influence (zvi is the area from which a development is theoretically visible) of the proposed turbine. The size, scale and impact of the turbine will be harmful to the historic character of the locality and the setting of these historic assets. The turbine is too close to many private dwellings. The nearest dwelling is only around 100m from the turbine with the settlement of ulcat row being directly affected and the settlement of matterdale end and dockray only around 1000m away. Many countries and some areas of the uk encourage a 2000m (2km) zone from dwellings as best practice to protect those neighbouring wind farms. Many homes in the surrounding villages, plus several outlying residential properties fall within 2kms of this turbine. The landscape is popular with walkers, climbers, horse riders, cyclists, fishermen and other visitors and tourists who come to enjoy the countryside for its own sake including its historic quality, beauty and tranquility. The turbine will destroy these attractive characteristics and could mean that visitors choose to spend their leisure time and money elsewhere resulting in loss of trade to local businesses and refreshment premises. Far reaching views across open countryside will be ruined and tranquility spoilt. The wind turbine will also impact on leisure activities such as cycling, fishing in nearby rivers and lakes, and local artist groups are also likely to be adversely affected. This could lead to many people seeking alternative sports and leisure arrangements resulting in the loss of facilities for local people as well as loss of trade for local businesses. The impact on local wildlife on the site will be severe. Major ground works in the construction phase will inevitably damage flora and fauna and will inhibit the movement and natural spread of wildlife around the site. There are several protected species known to inhabit or visit the site and many species including bats, birds, badgers, great crested newts, migratory geese and swans will be affected. The impact on house prices. Can anyone afford to take a 30%* drop in the price of their most valuable asset? (*figure as reported by the royal institute of chartered surveyors). In summary, all renewable energy projects should be sympathetically sited. There is a delicate balance between the requirements of renewable energy projects and the extent of environmental, economic and social impacts. The impacts of this proposed development on the landscape, residents and wildlife heavily outweigh any benefits making this application a wholly inappropriate proposition. Objections can also be e-mailed by following the link on the ldpa website.
There are currently 86 signatures for this petition: