Opposing the proposed wind farm alongside the scenic Bishops Road
It is proposed to build an industrial enterprise called the 'Windy Hill wind
farm'. The name is slightly misleading. This wind farm will not be
along the Windy Hill Road but will straddle the uplands between Bishops Road on one side and Ballyhacket Lane and Burrenmore
Road on the other. One of the site entrances will in fact be connected to
the Bishops Road. As locals know, this road is one of the most scenic
places in Ireland, so much so that even our government decided to make
it an AONB - and area of outstanding natural beauty.
The proposed wind turbines are of a new, extra large design and will
measure from ground to top of the blade some 125 meters. This is not
counting the height of the platform supporting it. Now, Benevenagh at
its highest point measures 385 meters above sea level, but of course
most of the uplands don't reach this lofty height. It takes little
imagination to mentally visualise just how high these turbines would
tower above the landscape and how dramatically they would
interfere with a much-loved skyline.
Below the letter I have
written to the planners and some other relevant information.
The agents who are applying for this planning permission are:
http://turleyassociates.co.uk/office/belfast/
All the planning documents can be studied via the link below:
http://epicpublic.planningni.gov.uk/PublicAccess/zd/zdApplication/application_detailview.aspx?caseno=MP8Y49SV30000
These documents contain maps of the proposed development, drawings of the turbines and letters written to the planners.
The Stormont Minister responsible for the Environment, including Planning:
Mr Mark H Durkan
Clarence Court
10-18 Adelaide Street
BELFAST BT2 8GB
The MP for the local constituency is:
Mr Gregory Campbell
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA
His website site is:
http://www.duplondonderry.co.uk/campbell.html
Below is the text of a letter the editor of this site sent to the
planning office.
29 January 2014
Ms Jacqueline Rush
Belfast Planning
HQ
Millenium House
17-25
Great
Victoria Street
BELFAST BT2 7BN
Dear Ms Rush
Planning Application C/2013/0248/F (Windy Hill Wind farm)
I am writing to object to the granting of planning permission to
the proposed Windy Hill Wind Farm.
I live on the southern slopes of Benevenagh and hence know and
love the area well. The Bishops Road area and the imposing cliffs it
straddles are an iconic and indeed historic landscape, the spoiling
of which - by building any collection of wind turbines, never mind
the huge structures proposed - seems to me to be an act of
environmental vandalism beyond belief. The cliffs and outline of
Benevenagh are an area of rare and special beauty – in my
opinion beyond compare in most of Ireland and even Europe. Through my
website at http://roevalley.com I
am in contact with many people around the world and I know that my
views are shared not only by local people but by many living all over
Britain and indeed the world.
I accept that a (very weak) argument can be made for the erection
of wind farms, but surely not in an area of outstanding natural
beauty. These rotating giants have a way of catching the eye and
holding it which interferes with the enjoyment of even the most
stunning views, even when one tries to look the other way.
Personally, I would be hesitant to drive my car along this rather
narrow and winding road whilst my attention is constantly distracted
by huge blades turning all around me. How the rather steep and narrow
southern parts of the Bishops Road will cope with the massive
construction traffic required is anyone's guess.
I would also like to draw attention to the fact that this area is
home to many wild birds – particularly birds of prey. I see
several buzzards nearly every day - occasionally one can spot a
peregrine falcon and I have even seen hen harriers several times.
Many other hawks and owls can be spotted on a daily basis. Many of
these birds would almost certainly be killed by the blades. It has
been stated in the past that the risk of bird-strike is minimal, but
recent research indicates that the frequency of bird-strike by wind
turbines has been considerably underestimated.
For all these reasons I would beg you most sincerely not to grant
planning permission to such an unsuitable development.
Yours sincerely
Jochen Lueg
|