Senior councillor says Fife has to take a more considered approach to wind turbines
Fife's main opposition leader has called for a moratorium on wind turbines following concerns about the number in the pipeline.
- Published in the Courier : 14.12.11
- Published online : 14.12.11 @ 12.18pm
Labour leader Councillor Alex Rowley has written to council officials proposing that no more applications be approved until a strategic framework for such developments is put in place.
Mr Rowley believes the time has come for a ''community led'' discussion on the issue, and hopes the council will be able to conduct a full examination of appropriate locations for wind turbines.
''I am worried that we seem to be operating on a first come first approved basis with little thought to what is acceptable for local communities,'' he said.
''In my own home village we are surrounded by proposals and applications to erect these large structures and I think we have to stop and think about whether or not we want to be surrounded by such large industrial structures or if there is a better way.
''I am not against such industrial structures for the sake of it, and I accept that we will have such structures to achieve a mixed approach to sourcing energy, but we seem to be verging on the ad hoc approach with little regard for people and communities."
Mr Rowley has now written to the council's head of development services and the head of planning asking for a meeting to discuss these issues and his proposal for a moratorium on all current and future applications.
02.17pm - 14.12.2011 newburghwindfarm - Newburgh, Fife Report This
And about time too. If the ones in the pipeline go ahead Fife will be littered with them. One really good gale and we become the Island of Fife like in Noahs Island the cartoon. But seriously with the way the councils own guidelines are being streched to the limit in this race to be the greenest.
11.40am - 15.12.2011 Bing - Newport, UK Report This
There is a strategic framework called the ASH report devised by Fife Council in collaboration with Scottish Natural Heritage. The best areas of Fife such as the East Neuk and Tay Coast Special Landscape Areas were left blank as being unsuitable...yet still applications in those areas are appearing!
12.00pm - 15.12.2011 Eoin Ryan - Glenrothes, Scotland Report This
More spin by 'leader' of Labour in Fife he might want to note of the support of his members across Fife for turbines & his own support for the Wind Enegry supplementary Planning Guidance http://www.fifedirect.org.uk/publications/index.cfm? fuseaction=publication.pop&pubid=6E5AB112-9925-DED1-7EDF4E50
12.12pm - 15.12.2011 Lesley Young - Newburgh, Scotland Report This
At last, a councillor with some sense! I hope he is able to make the council see sense too - this ad hoc approach is potentially extremely damaging to the environment and surely cannot make financial good sense either with regard to infrastructure.
12.59pm - 15.12.2011 Colin Clark - Ladybank, UK Report This
The recent wind energy supplementary planning guidance is in fact a slight improvement as it at least defends the protection of designated areas...but I agree the politicos do speak with forked tongues. The planners also need to read the guidance properly and apply it!
10.21am - 16.12.2011 Dr John Cameron - St Andrews, UK Report This
We should be troubled by the reckless folly of the government’s commitment to wind farms. New, more effective and less intrusive energy technologies are on the way but the door will be closed to them if today’s political class continues to ‘bet the house’ on wind.
10.23am - 16.12.2011 Eoin Ryan - Glenrothes, Scotland Report This
Don't be fooled. This is pure politics by Labour. They can't oppose applications being considered. It is pure 100% spin. There is no substance to it at all. Legally it can't be done, and he knows that.
11.46pm - 16.12.2011 Trafalgar - Fife, United Kingdom Report This
Wind farms are ugly looking things. The only people who benefit from them are the landowners who receive huge sums of money to have them based on their land.
11.48pm - 16.12.2011 Trafalgar - Fife, United Kingdom Report This
Wind farms are ugly looking things. The only people who benefit from them are the landowners who receive huge sums of money to have them based on their land.
12.45am - 04.01.2012 Owen - St Andrews, Fife Report This
There is nothing wrong with how the turbines look at least wind power is not going to run out. Doesn't matter whether you care about global warming the world needs more energy and life's are lost mining coal but I don't see many people suggesting it is stopped let alone oil disasters impacts.
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