Feelings run high at wind farm meeting
PEOPLE left a public meeting anxious and frustrated having struggled to find out more information about a proposed wind farm at Heckington Fen, near Sleaford.
Project developers Andrew Muir and Jamie Baldwin for Ecotricity attended a public meeting at Heckington Village on Monday night called by the parish council as a fact finding exercise for all parties about the proposed 50MW-plus wind farm on land at East Heckington, to the east of Sidebar Lane.
Feelings ran high as people demanded answers on the specifics of the wind farm but Mr Muir insisted that until more thorough investigations, consultations and tests had been carried out he could not say for certain how many wind turbines could be installed there. He estimated a maximum of 30 turbines, measuring 100m to the tip of the rotor blade, of a similar size to those already installed at Bicker Fen.
The proposals would be subject to permission from the Department of Energy due to the potential size of the wind park.
Rachel Sumner of Sidebar Lane was particularly concerned about noise pollution from the beat of the rotor blades and claimed the value of properties in the area was already falling due to knowledge of the proposal.
Mr Muir said: "They do generate noise and the government says we should seek to minimise that and by taking them into the centre of the site we think we can satisfy those requirements."
Ecotricity has applied for planning permission from North Kesteven District Council for a wind monitoring mast which would remain there on a temporary basis for 18 months. Construction would take another 18 months and Mr Muir estimated that work could be completed by 2013.
Each turbine costs about 750,000 to install and the rental to landowners can be an average of 6,000-7,000 per turbine per year.
Jane Davis, a long-standing anti-wind farm campaigner from Deeping St Nicholas since one was built near her home, warned that it was the multiple night time background noise of the rotor blades which had ruined her life and made her abandon her home which vibrates because of the low frequency hum.
Bruce Pickworth, of Church Street, Heckington, quoted a study claiming the night time noise created headaches, nausea, depression and sleepless nights. That was contested by Mr Muir.
But Beatrice and Keith Biggadyke of East Heckington said they had nothing to lose by having the turbines when they already lived near to the A17 with 60,000 vehicles passing each day.
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Weather for Sleaford
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: East
