Iain Dales Diary today 5.25pm

A Campaign Against Visual Pollution?

Great news from Ceres

On the left, one of Graham Lang's Cartoons


This marvelous news came out as I was on my way to Wales, so should have been mentioned earlier:

Plans for five large wind turbines in the north-east Fife countryside near Ceres were yesterday overwhelmingly rejected by councillors... read more on www.wind-watch.org

Some more of CADEAP spokesman Graham Lang's work can be seen on the artistsagainstwindfarms website.

Great news from Chilla as well

Stop Press - go to Chilla Against Turbines for today's great news!

More about Turbine Height

Do look at these photos on the Chilla Against Turbines website of a blimp flying at a height of 125m above the Devon countryside.

Nant-y-Moch - Cambrian News

Last week's article in the Cambrian News mentioning Robert Plant - "Rock Legend campaigns against windfarm plans " - was not published online, but the full text can be found on the website www.wind-watch.org. This website is a fantastic source for news, information and videos (such as ones about what it is like to live near a wind farm)

Shock News

District planning officers have recommended that Councillors approve the scheme for six 120m high turbines at Silton, near Gillingham and Shaftesbury, in Dorset. How much of this is down to belief in Government and EU targets which will do very little to reduce C02 emissions or provide a reliable supply of energy, while at the same time blighting some of the most beautiful countryside in England, described so perfectly in books like Tess of the D'Urbevilles? Hardy would be turning in his grave. Final decision at the Olive Bowl conference centre in Gillingham next Thursday at 10am.
This gives you an idea of the height of a 110m turbine, the Silton ones would be higher.

Southern African Songs and Dances

Wow
Today 3.45 and 6.00, and Sunday at 2.15, U'Zambesi Performing Arts, song, dance and drummers, amazing performances in the Baptist Hall, Boutport Street, Barnstaple.

Jobs lost

Spanish study shows subsidizing renewable energy leads to 2.2 jobs lost for every one gained... more on Bloomberg

Art Trek

Art Trek at North Devon Festival

I was one of the original Art Trek Four when the event started back in 2004, and I organised it in 2005. Stella Levy then took over that job, and it has grown bigger each year. I'm not doing it myself this year, but for anyone who is interested, it will be on this weekend (details on North Devon Festival website).
Several Art Trek artists (including Stella Levy and Reg Gale) have shown work on Artists Against Wind Farms, and some have donated work to raise funds for the Two Moors Campaign, for which we are all really grateful. It is a friendly Open Studios event, which gives you a chance to see artists in their own studios, and as you can see from the programme, on the Festival website, there will be some fantastic work on view this year

TheatreFest09 in Barnstaple

Not much blogging for the next four days as I will be helping at the Fringe Theatre Fest in Barnstaple, part of the North Devon Festival, from Thursday until Sunday.

Tickets are only £4/£2 for Concessions, and the Venues are The Inn on the Square, and The Baptist Hall.

For more about the 21 different performances, including dance, comedy, solo acts, and much more, go to the website www.theatrefest.co.uk or contact Box Office 01271 32 42 42

The North Devon Festival were very supportive when I did my Walk Round Devon's Wind Farm Sites in 2006, and The Wind Thing (Henry Lewis) was also performed as part of the Festival that year too, so it is good to give support back in a different way this year.

Robert Plant, famous singer from Led Zeppelin

Today's Headline in the Cambrian News:

Rock Legend Campaigns against Windfarm Plans.

We didn't mention this earlier, when reporting on the walk, to respect his privacy, but as it is now headline news in the local Press, we can report that Robert Plant, the famous singer from Rock Band Led Zeppelin, like Wyck Lohman, lives in the Artists Valley.
There was a public exhibition held by the developers , and it was reported in the Cambrian News that he attended the meeting and joined protesters in opposing the plans which they say "will devastate the landscape and have no significant effect on climate change or carbon emissions."
There is a good article about the protest at Nant-y-Moch in the Cambrian News today. In it, Ann West, Chairman of the Cambrian Mountains Society, said "We are very pleased to have people like that on board, and it is very important in getting us noticed on a larger scale. The protest was all about getting our voices heard and to show what a vast area will be destroyed by this wind farm as well as to make people aware of the importance of preserving our countryside."

At the moment we haven't found the article online, but here is a link to the Cambrian News.

Another kind of artist

Playwright Henry Lewis, who came to Nant-y-Moch, and many other musicians, singers and writers, are among those who support the fight against the purposeless destruction of our countryside. Now, actress Amanda Holden, judge of Britain's Got Talent, has come out against a wind farm in Norfolk.
Read this report, as well, on the local Norfolk site EDP24. According to the Country Guardian list of campaign groups, there are 11 groups already in Norfolk and here is a link to one of them, FLAT.

Read the article written in 2003 by Simon Jenkins which was the inspiration behind this website

Part of the Proposed Nant-y-Moch Turbine Site in Mid-Wales

In this short video on YouTube, you can see Wyck Lohman showing us where some of the turbines would be if the wind farm is built. We had walked for a mile or two round the edge of the Reservoir and were standing below the hill called Drosgol. Incidentally, you can see Stephen Briggs, the archaeologist who gave a speech earlier, standing quite close to Wyck. Stephen is wearing a red jacket. You can also see a map of the proposed wind farm on the Cambrian Mountains Society website here
There are more photographs and links on the Artists Against Wind Farms website here.

David Bellamy, the artist and author, speaks at Nant y Moch

This is the second video from Saturday's Cambrian Mountains Society event at Nant-y-Moch, and shows David Bellamy speaking to the assembled crowd. He had deferred the first day of his holiday so that he could come to the protest, because he cares so much about the future of wild places such as Nant-y-Moch and the nearby famous beauty spot of the Artists Valley. Unfortunately I missed the beginning of his speech, but captured some of it. You may be able to see the raindrops!

video on youtube

This is a very short video taken as people assembled at the Nant y Moch Reservoir for a picnic. Excuse wobbling, I am learning how to use the camera.

I am also learning how to post videos on Youtube so let's hope this works.

Still updating Nant-y-Moch

Another photo added, on the website and more information. Next I have to figure out how to upload the videos, which may take a little while!

Meanwhile, here is a link to the website of the Cambrian Mountains Society.

And a link to an article about the walk on Wales Online

More photographs of Nant-y-Moch

See more photographs, uploaded tonight, on the website at this page:

http://www.artistsagainstwindfarms.com/walks-2009/nant-y-moch/nant-y-moch-june.html

Cambrian Mountains Society

CAMBRIAN MOUNTAINS SOCIETY: MAGNIFICENT NANT UNDER THREAT

JOIN US ON THE NORTHERN SHORES OF NANT-Y-MOCH RESERVOIR ON SATURDAY THE 20TH JUNE, AROUND NOON FOR A PEACEFUL PROTEST. BRING A PICNIC.

There will be speeches and a short walk to Drosgol to see the full impact of these horrendous proposals.

Artists David Bellamy and Christine Lovelock (daughter of James Lovelock)
will be amongst the leaders of the walk."

The above is the text from the poster. Just back in Devon, this is the first photo, of the Reservoir, more coming, and video as well. As you can see, it was a dark wet morning! Even so, well over one hundred people turned up for the protest, in this beautiful remote mountain valley. We all gave very special thanks to Ann West, Chairman of the Cambrian Mountains Society, who organised this event.

Off to Wales

No postings for a couple of days as I am off to Wales to a peaceful protest organised by the Cambrian Mountains Society. Artist David Bellamy will also be there... more about this on my return, meanwhile here is a link to David Bellamy's website:
davidbellamy.co.uk


Just a reminder:

The new Three Moors and Bickham Moor Public Inquiry timetable is on the North Devon Council website

Wind Turbine Noise

Southside Broadcasting provide anti-wind farm protestor information

All of us who are concerned about the health issues concerning wind turbine noise can be grateful to Southside Radio, in Middlesborough, for their podcast featuring Jane Davis (Lincolnshire) and Ron Williams (Cumbria) who talk frankly about the problems they have experienced with turbine noise, and in Ron Williams' case as well, flicker.
Go to this link to download the podcast.

For more information about noise, go to www.windturbinesyndrome.com/

Wind farms in Argyll

Yesterday we mentioned a threat to the rare Orange-bellied Parrot, today it is the Golden Eagle... AWF have just sent us this email about the Dunoon wind farm:


Dunoon wind farm, (map ref NS137776) planned by Infinenergy would consist of eight one hundred meter high turbines, the nearest of which would be 2.5km outside and directly visible from the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park - Scotland's first, and one of only two National Parks. The nearest property is only 900m away and there are also potential Golden Eagle issues.


Go to their website, www.argyllwindfarms.com for more information, and a map that shows the wind farms in their area

Marion Chapman- artist from Southern Victoria

Artists Against Wind Farms have a new featured artist: Marion Chapman from the coastlands of Southern Australia.

The painting on the left is called "Seaweed Smorgasbord". Go to this page on the website to see more examples of her paintings, produced from observation of native Australian plants and wildlife.

About another painting, "Great Egret" she says it : "captures a moment from one of those superb calm days when no turbine blade turns."

Also included on the web-page are photographs of the Bald Hills Wetland Reserve, which she and her husband helped re-establish in the 1980's. This Reserve, and rare birds such as the Orange-bellied Parrot (only 200 left alive in the wild) are now threatened by the proposed Bald Hills Wind Farm.

News from the Two Moors Campaign Group, in connection with the Public Inquiry into the Bickham Moor and Three Moors turbines:

NDDC have now put the timetable on their website and will hopefuly update it as it changes. Here's the link to the timetable to date. http://www.northdevon.gov.uk/index/lgcl_environment/lgcl_planning/lgcl_planning_applications/nonlgcl_devon_wind_farm_appeals_timetable.htm


You can see a map of the are on this page: http://www.artistsagainstwindfarms.com/walks-2009/taw-estuary-page.html

This photo was taken looking towards the Three Moors site, with the hills of Exmoor behind it.

I went to South Molton yesterday to show support for the Two Moors Campaign Group when a Public Inquiry opened yesterday at South Molton Assembly Rooms. The room was packed with local residents (someone said there were more than a hundred people, I did not count but quite a few people had to stand as there were not enough seats.) They came to show their disapproval of Airtricity's plans to put nine 105 metre turbines at Three Moors, and Coronation Power's plans for four 100 metre turbines. ITV cameras were there to film the opening of the Inquiry, which will last for about four weeks.

A new Rural Alliance has been formed to help fight the four different applications in this area close to Exmoor.. read more about this (Western Morning News, June 7th)

Posted by Christine Lovelock
Go to Two Moors Campaign website for more information