Hi Chromodoris,

I live just up the road from the proposed Whinash wind farm-
See
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/content/articles/2005/04/15/windfarms_feature.shtml
and
http://www.nowhinashwindfarm.co.uk/

Most of the locals' opposition around here seems to be based on concerns over house devaluation and spoiling the view, which is a bit depressing really.

I havn't followed the debate that closely but a couple of things that have stuck with me are
1, the infrastructure they need to put in to erect and maintain the turbines is massive and will have an enormous effect on the flora, fauna and of course any archaeology.
2, if industry was forced to cut its Waste of energy (that's Waste, not Use) by 20% there would be no need for any more power stations of any kind (at least at the moment).
That second is a statistic that was being bandied about and maybe its not true, but it certainly puts into focus that really what is going on here is not an investment in sustainability, but an investment in yet more economic growth.
That alone is enough to convince me against it.
Anyway you can have a look at what the campaign against has been up to here and maybe you'll get some ideas.

Best of luck

Hi,

I live in Dumfries about 20mins from Moffat so i might be able to get to the meeting.
Wind farms are becoming more and more common now, we have had plans to build a wind farm in the solway for the past few years, which seems to be getting closer. I think each wind farm needs to be judged on its own, depends on where, how close, damage that could be caused etc..
I know that there are wind farms up near Casphairn as well. If you are heading down the M74 before you get to the Crawford turn off, you should be able to spot some turbines up on the hills.

keep us informed.

a link....

http://www.limmerwindfarm.co.uk/didu.htm

Hi chromodoris,

I lived less than a mile from a small windfarm for seven years, and just down the road from the UK's largest on-shore windfarm (Cefn Crois).

I gather you're really interested in the archaeological repercussions of the development rather than an environmental debate, so I'll try and stay focussed. Here's my perspective.

If it weren't for the access roads, cabling and sub-stations, windfarms would have very little negative effect on their immediate environment. Unfortunately access roads in particular cause a lot of problems. They're essential to get the turbines built, and later on so that turbines can be maintained (although it's the building that makes the roads so darned large).

The larger windfarms require very solid access roads, and given half a chance the developer will make these double width to speed up construction. Apart from the risk that road material will be quarried locally, destroying undiscovered archaeology in the process, the main problem with the access roads is their effect on the hydrology of the surrounding landscape. Large areas can dry up or become water-logged if enough care isn't taken.

It's unlikely that direct damage will be caused to a known prehistoric site by windfarm developers. Damage to a site caused by a change in the hydrology seems possible, but I don't know if this has ever happened. In general the developers have enough of a fight on their hands arguing with locals about the aesthetics, so they don't try and make waves unnecessarily.

As for (as yet) undiscovered archaeology goes, I wouldn't expect anything that poses a threat to the development to survive. It's tricky to spot a cairn when you're digging with a JCB. Even if they did spot a site it's likely to get brushed under the carpet to save some money (developers are not generally in it for ethics alone). This aspect of windfarm development is no different to any other type of construction. Don't trust them. They will lie to you!

Believe it or not, I'm pro-windfarms.

:-)#

K x