Turbine policy needs much more thought

I UNDERSTAND the threat posed by climate change, and I support action to tackle it, but I think the use of onshore wind turbines needs to be carefully controlled in order to avoid unacceptable damage to the countryside we are seeking to protect.

Many people in our county are really worried about the huge increase in applications for wind turbines, and I am concerned that many of these proposals are made by energy companies that don’t pay enough attention to local concerns and want to site turbines at inappropriate locations.

The current situation is undermining confidence in the planning system and fails to support people who are keen to tackle climate change but do not want to sacrifice our beautiful landscapes.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) recently published a report recommending a new approach to onshore wind that makes sense. It wants the Government to have a more strategic approach to where turbines go, and for this to be more sensitive to the landscape – with local people having a greater say in what renewable energy they think is best in their area.

I have written to our MP through the CPRE website, www.cpre.org.uk, calling for strong leadership on this matter, and I would like to encourage other readers to do the same.

ANDREW CHAPMAN

The Brambles

St Ives