The D.A.T.E.D.
Action Group
West Park
Darrington
Pontefract
West Yorkshire

Telephone:
01977 620382

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Whilst the date for the hearing of Banks Developments application to erect turbines on the Westfield Lane Site draws ever nearer it is imperative that those of you who have not lodged your objection do so. You may have been out of the country to sunnier climes or perhaps just moved into the district finding that the application has been made to erect the turbines within the picturesque landscape of Westfield Lane. Whatever the reason you may not have already objected to the proposal please do so with haste.

If you take a moment to squint into the summer sun (yes it is there somewhere) across the open green fields paint the picture in your mind of the giant turbines their rotor blades flashing the sunbeams to earth blinding you with their shiny surface. Alas no birds gliding through the blue summer sky the song of the skylarks no more.

The butterflies who should be hovering through the wild flowers, the flowers gone to make way for the dull gravel road where gigantic transporters have tipped their load the butterflies unable to compete with the whoosh of air through the rotors of the turbines. Families of field mice their homes destroyed where deep foundations filled with concrete lay hedgehogs who enjoyed the night air snuffling for food in the fields and under leaves all gone.

Those creatures who did not run away fast enough when the enormous diggers arrived sit bemused and injured. At the dead of night when owls swoop and bats glide silently there will be lights flashing to warn them of the dangers of visiting the place where their forefathers lived and fed. Confused and hungry they will have to find another safe haven. Why should they, surely the countryside belongs to them, surely God created this wonderful earth with them in mind. I value the countryside and all it has to offer my children were brought up in this world to gaze at the beauty of the countryside to appreciate the birds in the sky and the small creatures on the earth will your children & grandchildren have the pleasure?

Sylvia White
WPHAG
West Park Hamlet

Firstly i would like to congratulate you on a magnificent website, it certainly gets the message across and leaves nobody in any doubt as to the severity of the problem we face nor the potential impact on our quality of life should this go ahead. Now that i am formally the Conservative candidate on May 1st i can assure you i will be doing everything i can to add my voice to the growing opposition to the proposed development. The most worrying aspect of this for me is that a local planning decision was overturned! If this is possible and the government have such influence then what may happen in the future?

We must use every opportunity we can to oppose any moves to see this come to fruition as the quality of life of all local people wil be affected. I have particular empathy with the residents of West Park whose proximity must surely be considered as the primary factor in overturning this ridiculous proposal. I wish you the very best with your campaign and would like to offer whatever help i can in continuing this necessary fight.

Mark
Crowther
Pontefract

I concur with the residents of West Park, living in a similar situation, I too see these huge turbines from all sides of my property and whilst I realise the neccesity in some respects, the big blot on our beautiful landscape and the noise polution has a terrible inpact on our area. Good luck and best wishes for your campaign.
C TOLSON
TRURO
CORNWALL

Not all of the residents of Darrington are opposed to the wind farm. I live there and approve!
IAN THOMPSON
DARRINGTON
PONTEFRACT

When the wind farm proposal was first initiated, I felt quite positive - I am in favour of wind energy, having spent considerable time in Denmark where they have lots of wind turbines (the majority off-shore). However, the more research I have done, the more concerned I have become about the noise impacts on all local residents, and so reluctantly I too have become a protestor.
KATE HYMANS
DARRINGTON

I object to these things onland, they should be out at sea. why do we have to put them where it is populated and spoil everything? Go to the Withins near Denholme Bradford, that’s bad enough, a blight on the landscape, an eyesore, not to mention the noise pollution factor which no one can measure as it affects some people more than others.
JEFF HARTSHORNE
HUDDERSFIELD
WEST YORKSHIRE

Like many people I was initially for this, but after reading the FACTS I am now strongly against it. The Wind Farm advocators twist and base all their statistics on data more than 10 years old (when turbines were much smaller and not much study had been done) and ignore recommendations from the World Health organization, EU and all recent studies done in this country. Currently there are bills going through the Scottish parliament to extend the minimum distance between turbines and human habitation which if implemented here would dis-allow this proposal. The EU is proposing even greater distances. Because of subsidies, the wind farm does not even need to make one KW of power to make a profit for the developers who are simply venture capitalists looking for any way to make money.
There are lots of other areas not too far away where they could be erected - well away from houses. The decision to put turbines so close to residential areas is a political one and values wildlife & scenery over human rights. Even our Great Leader (Mr Blair) doesn't agree with erecting turbines close to human habitation -
http://www.sovereignty.org.uk/siteinfo/newsround/blypocrit.html If you are still not convinced see this recent report http://www.windturbinenoisehealthhumanrights.com/wtnoisehealth.pdf
It is also interesting that the report cites that there is a good case for prosecuting the landowner(s) under the human rights act if people's health is subsequently affected.
DALE BRIGGS
UK

From our house we have a fantastic view down the Went valley and beyond which would be spoilt by a windfarm on the top of the pimp, if it helps to save the environment i'd cope, but this is not the most frightening thing.
NOISE!.
Technically, i understand, its called Amplitude Modulation of Aerodynamic Noise.
The link "Information" tells of a couple suffering noise pollution to such a degree that they have to abandon their home many nights in the year. Under the same wind conditions all of Darrington would be affected along with Carleton and large parts of Pontefract. The majority westerly winds would affect West Park and beyond to Womersley Stapleton and the Smeatons.
You can turn your back to a windfarm and temporarily it goes away, noise stays with you whatever way you face like a tinitus that can drive you to distraction. Even if you cannot see the turbines from your house You WILL hear them.
I urge everyone to research as much as possible and come to the same conclusion that i have, put windfarms in the right places, away from homes.
LES DRIFFIELD
EAST HARDWICK
PONTEFRACT

Myself and my family recently moved to Darrington in March of this year, we had no idea that there was a windfarm being planned on our doorstep. We moved from Leeds to Darrington because it was out in the country, if these turbines go ahead I wish we'd have stayed in Leeds. Not only will our new house be worth next to nothing but one of the reasons we did move was my husband is recovering from a brain tumour, what will the noise do to aid his recovery? Wind turbines are ok if they are out at sea or why can't they be placed on the M62 where there are no residents, would any of the Banks employees live here, I don't think so.
CLAIRE MARSDEN
DARRINGTON.
PONTEFRACT

'I regularly walk over Went Edge as well as around Hundhill, Ackworth, Wentbridge and Carleton. It would be an act of gross vandalism to damage the visual amenity - my visual amenity - on the offchance that this windfarm installation will make any significant impact upon Global Warming. When the wind isn't blowing sufficiently, power stations like Ferrybridge will have to 'kick in' but when the wind is blowing sufficiently, power stations like Ferrybridge will have to be on 'tick-over' to be ready for the 'no-wind' and it's this 'tyick-obver' that produces a huge amount of 'grewenhouse gasses'. As far as the Went Edge project is concerned, the 'tick-over' problem of places like Ferrybridge will offset the benefits of the wind farm.
SO
If there's going to be no clear benefit (except to the shareholderfs of the wind-farm construction firm from subsidies), why build?'
ANDY TAGGER
DARRINGTON
PONTEFRACT

Please anyone who has not lodged objections to the proposal to erect the turbines Westfield lane Site I urge you to do so. If you do not the developers will make the point that you are in favour of the development by virtue of the fact you have not objected!
It is vital you and whosoever resides in your household takes the opportunity to voice your opinion. The action groups need your support we cannot do this on our own make your voice heard.
SYLVIA WHITE
PONTEFRACT

I think the wind farms are an excellent idea. Why do you want the world to explode in heat due to the lack of thoughtfulness of people such as these writing in this forum, I think it is ridiculous. Imagine how your great grandchildren will feel if they knew about your incompetence and lack of inspiration to drive this amazing opportunity forward
Good night and god bless.
REBECCA GIBLET
PONTEFRACT
UK

I am all for renewable energy sources, however, I feel that, after having visited a site in Penistone at the weekend just to see what all the fuss is about, I have to say I am VERY concerned!! Did you realise that these turbines are going to be taller overall than the statue of liberty?!! (Statue = 93 metres, Turbine including blades = 125 metres). The noise from the turbines at Penistone was quite alarming and these are only 35 metres tall. There is a company called E:on who have advertised on TV that they are building turbines offshore - what a fantastic idea!!! Surely they would be more energy efficient out there than in the relatively low lying area at Darrington?!
LISA
PONTEFRACT
UK

From: Bernard Ingham
Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2007 05:19:08 EDT
To: maggie.ayre@bbc.co.uk
Subject: WIND POWER

Your programme was timely, though I do wonder why it has taken 17 years for the message to get through to the BBC. Wind EVERYWHERE has always been intermittent and unreliable and as a result windpower is far from being clean because of the need for standby power.
Wind turbines are a useful political tool: they very visibly demonstrate action, even if that action is meaningless. Not a single wind farm would have been built without massive subsidies which are impairing the nation's competitiveness.

If politicians had consulted engineers, they would have discovered all this decades ago. Indeed, experienced electrical engineers will tell you that, however much wind power you have in MW terms, you will still need enough conventional generating plant available to the grid to meet maximum national demand.

For wind generators, this is a legitimate scam not to be missed. For politicians, this is an easy way out of doing the hard things necessary to change our lifestyle.
For the public, it is an expensive con.

For fanatical greens wind is a useful "alternative" to nuclear power, regardless of its industrialisation of wild uplands.

At least you have raised some doubts about it.
(Sir) Bernard Ingham

By allowing this development the local area will be degenerated. Surely we should be looking at regenerating the lesser districts not ruining the better ones. Noise pollution is already a problem with the old A1 in place; surely we should be looking at measures of reducing noise pollution not increasing it. Isn’t Darrington in a noise reduction zone?? The proposed site is too close to the A1 and will be a safety hazard to motorists, not maybe WILL BE! I use the area of the proposed site on a regular basis as I like to run. This helps me to keep fit and healthy. This will not be if this development is granted. My quality of life will suffer. My children attend the local school. The erection of these turbines will cast a shadow over the school. Surely this cannot benefit their education. The proposed site is surrounded by local history, the bridge at Wentbridge used by Robin Hood, the church at Darrington, mentioned in the doomsday book. The area has character and charm, add these turbines and all this will be lost.
D EVANS
DARRINGTON
UK

The proposed site is too close to residential properties. The positioning of the turbines this close to residential properties will have detrimental effects on the local quality of life. Property values will also be devalued. I feel there is sufficient land available to support this type of development where residential areas are not affected.
ROGER TAYLOR
DARRINGTON
UK

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