Atlantic Array 'scaled back'
claim is wrong, say North Devon campaigners
NEW PLAN FOR BRISTOL CHANNEL
WINDFARM IS 'A DISASTER' FOR NORTH DEVON'S VITAL TOURISM INDUSTRY
RWE npower's plan for the
giant windfarm in the Bristol Channel is a disaster for North Devon, according
to campaign group Slay the Array. The developer has not 'reduced' or 'scaled
back' the proposal in response to public opinion, as has been claimed, but has
increased the size of the turbines to be sited near the North Devon coast, the
group says.
"The
plan on the table is the same as before – but with one option removed",
said Slay the Array spokesman Steve Crowther.
"The
previous proposal said that they would use 417 big, 300 huge or 188
massiveturbines to create a (theoretical) capacity of 1500 MW. All
they've done is remove the smaller-turbine option.
The
company have now said that they will be choosing larger wind turbines for the
development, ranging in height from 600 feet to 722 feet – almost twice the
height of Lundy island.
"The
capacity remains the same, and they now say they will use either the huge or
the massive turbines to achieve it.
"This
announcement is a ploy to make it look as though the developers have bowed to
public opinion. In fact, they have not reduced the size of the development at
all. Like the 'extra' consultation they announced in January, this is part of a
carefully choreographed PR campaign.
RWE
have now made clear that they will be developing the southern part of the area
they identified, using larger turbines. The
machines will be erected on the Stanley Bank, which lies only 7.5 miles from
Lundy.
The
windfarm will therefore now be four miles further away from the South
Walescoast, but remains only 9 miles from North Devon's surfing beaches
and coastal
walks.
"The
closest point to the North Devon coast is 8.7m away – that's the same distance
as from Fullabrook to Huntshaw Cross.
"Everyone
in North Devon knows how visible the Fullabrook turbines are from right around
the estuary basin – and these turbines will be twice the size of the ones at
Fullabrook."
Threat to North Devon jobs
The
confirmation that North Devon will bear the brunt of the windfarm's impact is
terrible news for the region, says Slay the Array.
Tourism
brings more than a quarter of a billion pounds a year to North Devon and
accounts for 17% of employment.
"That's
one in six people here whose jobs depend on tourism", said Steve Crowther.
"People don't come here to see industrial machinery; they come to see unspoiled
landscapes and seascapes.
"The
North Devon fishing industry remains under threat, and there is no realistic
prospect of the development creating any significant quantity of new jobs here,
when South Wales has several large and well-equipped docks."
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