West Coast Energy Ltd (WCE) has appealed against the rejection of its planning application by Derbyshire Dales District Council. WCE want to construct 4 giant wind turbines, each 102m high (taller than Big Ben) on Carsington Pastures in the Derbyshire Dales. Their appeal will be heard at a Public Inquiry on 1st July 2008 at Matlock Town Hall (see 'Public Inquiry')

The original planning application was unanimously rejected by the Derbyshire Dales Local Planning Authority. During the Inquiry, Derbyshire Dales District Council, the Peak Park Planning Authority and Carsington and Hopton Parish Council will act against the application by WCE. At the end of the Inquiry, the Planning Inspector will take the decision to approve or reject the development.

This website is run by a campaign group comprising of residents from Carsington and Hopton. We want to provide information to local residents and the huge number of tourists that enjoy visiting the area. We also hope that you will support our objections to the development (Support our Objection).

We are not objecting against sustainable energy development, but are objecting strongly against what appears to be a selection of site by West Coast Energy based on commercial benefit alone. It'll be cheap to connect the turbines to the National Grid!

What would the impact of the development be?

Find our more details on our ‘campaign detail’ page

·       It is too close to houses, will be too noisy and may endanger health. It will be 550 metres from the nearest farm and 600 metres from the nearest house in Carsington. This is much closer than the UK Noise Association and Scottish Executive recommendations for siting (1600m and 2000m respectively). The energy company work has claimed that noise levels will be 'at the margins of acceptable levels'. However, 2dB has been taken off due to claimed topographical effects, the accuracy of which an independent expert contests. It is quite possible therefore that eventual noise levels will be higher than government allowable limits. Research has also been done into health implications of living close to Wind Farms. Click here and here for examples. Research has also been conducted into Wind Farm syndrome.

·       It is too close to footpaths and bridleways. Footpaths will pass the site within 50m and it will be just a few hundred metres from the High Peak Trail, a popular bridleway. Wind Turbines are widely recognised to 'spook' horses, potentially leading to rider injury. Turbines also don’t have a great safety record.

·       View Windfarm disaster photos                                                                 

·       Caithness Windfarms Information Forum Accident Statistics to March 2007

·       It is too close to Heritage sites. A scheduled ancient monument (Carsington Pasture Bowl Barrow) is 90m away, a Romano-British field system recommended for designation as a scheduled monument lies immediately south, two further scheduled monuments lie 650m and 880m from the site. A Grade II listed building, Carsington Windmill, lies 100m to the east

·       It will impact on protected wildlife. Bees Nest and Green Clay Pits SSSIs is close-by to the west, a registered 'Special Site of Scientific Interest'. Protected Great Crested Newts, bats and birds (eg Red Kites) will be impacted. Blade tips can travel at 200mph, easily killing or displacing small flying creatures

·       It will endanger archaeological remains. Channel 4s Time Team excavated Carsington caves in 2003, producing finds of national interest

·       The visual impact will be huge. Each of the 4 turbines will be 102m high - bigger than Big Ben! They will be seen across a vast expanse of the Derbyshire Dales and the Peak National Park, impacting on views that have been protected for a reason. We have prepared a map showing, in blue, the beautiful Derbyshire dales from which these planned Turbines would be in clear view. You can find this at the bottom of our 'Proposal' page.

·       There are more suitable sites for it to be built. WCE have not considered other sites, despite the council completing a piece of work several years ago with the British Wind Energy Association, recommending many other locations in the region. One of the arguments the energy company are making in favour of this particular site is that regional targets need to be met for renewable energy. However, the East Midlands Regional Assembly disagrees that targets should be cascaded to 'sub-region' level without a study into the capacity of each region to absorb a development like this.  They have only just commissioned this study to be started

·       27 houses may experience TV interference with transmissions from Lichfield, Bolehill, Matlock and Sutton Coldfield transmitters according to the BBC’s 'wind farm assessment tool'. A joint report (PDF format) by the BBC and Ofcom confirms that "Wind turbines affect reception up to a maximum distance of 5 km", "it is often impossible to avoid such problems completely" and that "both analogue and digital terrestrial reception can be affected." There may also be effects on radio and mobile phones.

But something has to be done about renewable energy……

We agree, but Wind Turbines are a relatively inefficient means of generating electricity. Turbines only operate when the wind is between around 10 and 56 mph and this means that total electricity produced is only about 25-27% of their potential. West Coast Energy claim that 10MW of energy will be generated from this development of four 2.5MW turbines. In reality, the output will probably only be around 2.7MW.

The main incentive for developers such as WCE is the huge subsidies available. According to new industry figures quoted in the Sunday Times [see 27 Jan 2008 Sunday Times article], eight 2MW turbines would generate around:

• £1.6m a year revenue from electricity and
• £2.4m a year in taxpayer subsidies for the developer.

In other words, taxpayers would be paying for 60% of the energy company’s revenue through government subsidies!! With a proposed operating life of 25 years the initial cost of around £2m per turbine would be recouped in 4 years leaving many years of healthy profit.

As Peter Atherton, head utilities analyst at Citi Investment Research, told the FT: "It's a bonanza. Anyone who can get their nose in the trough is trying to." [Financial Times - 4 Feb 2008]

Subsidy policy is coming under increasing criticism but while they remain, companies such as West Coast Energy Ltd have an incentive to overstate the benefits and underrate the drawbacks of building new wind farms in particular locations.

For a useful analysis listen to the BBC Radio 4 "Costing the Earth" programme -

For an interesting analysis of the economics of wind power read Tilting at Windmills, by Prof David Simpson.