Article taken from Evening Courier 14 August 2008.

I was concerned to read that a revised planning application has been submitted for wind turbines on Todmorden Moor. This is despite increasing evidence that shows not only are they ineffective, they also have significant negative impact on the local economy and environment.

This is not a case of NIMBYism, it is about assessing and understanding the wider implications. In respect of proposals that have been discussed for sites in Calder Valley, the key points I have to make relate to:

* Rural economies - across England, the rural visitor economy is worth £14 billion, supporting circa 800,000 jobs. Research shows that the countryside and landscape are key reasons for choosing a destination.

As a member of the project board overseeing the regeneration of Todmorden, attracting more visitors to the area is one of the key drivers for the project. However, evidence from other parts of the country shows that anything from 47 per cent to 75 per cent of visitors felt that wind turbines damage the landscape and therefore the attractiveness of an area.

* Costs to residents - as we all are acutely aware, gas and electricity bills are spiralling out of control. The use of alternative energy is only going to add to the cost of energy supply. Achieving the Government target of generating 20 per cent of energy use from renewable sources will cost in excess of £1bn a year, by 2010. This translates to an additional 5 per cent increase in our electricity costs, over and above those seen in recent months.

* Effectiveness - yet despite the cost and the significant push for expanding wind farms, they are actually extremely ineffective. Due to the fact they can only operate within a limited range of wind speed (too low they don't operate, too high a speed they are dangerous) they only actually work around 25 per cent of the time. This effectively means you need to install four turbines to generate the full capacity of one!

This isn't a "not in my back yard" mentality, it is about protecting the environment, economy and community that we all love and want to protect. This so called alternative energy is entirely contradictory to these aims, therefore I urge all of us to take a stance and fight any plans to install wind farms in the wonderful Calder Valley.

Craig Whittaker
Conservative PPC Calder Valley

Evening Courier

14 August 2008