Save Maer Hills...
(it's part of the planet!)

The Save Maer Hills campaign has generated a vaste amount of propaganda, much of it inaccurate, spurious, misleading and wildly exaggerated. The developer's PR team have completely failed to challenge the myths that have been propagating - so in the interests of intelligent debate we've analysed the main points of what they have been saying...

Landscape impact

1. Protection of the countryside and the wider environment, locally and globally, is one of the goals of renewable energy policy. Renewable energies such as wind power do not create any form of pollution or contribute to the rising temperatures that are associated with human-induced climate change, all of which are potentially damaging to the countryside in many respects: affecting weather patterns; causing drought and flood; affecting the agricultural economy; trees; animal, bird, insect and plant species habitats; and causing migration of species. The British Isles, both its urban and its rural areas, will not be immune to these effects and has indeed already experienced some.

2. The natural environment of Maer Hills is currently of poor quality because of the conifer plantation. It is well known that conifer plantations cause ecological impoverishment because they support few species, and in recent decades there have been moves to replace them with broadleaf plantings. The historic environment does not currently exist because the original, centuries-old lowland heathland was planted over some 60 years ago as commercial conifer forest. The plans for the wind farm include provision for restoration and regeneration of the historical lowland heathland environment within the exclusion zones of the individual wind turbines. For this reason alone the establishment of the wind farm is to be welcomed.

3., 5. and 6. The landscape character of Maer Hills is neither of high quality nor sensitive, consisting of a large, undifferentiated block of commercial conifer plantation. This is currently the only significant and distinctive element in the landscape of Maer Hills. It is a silent landscape because conifer forest supports few species of birds and other life. The addition of the proposed windmills can only enhance the landscape, by adding a highly interesting visual element. The high quality, sensitive landscape lies to the east of Maer Hills, comprising Berth Hill, Red Hill, Nikkerdale and environs. The distinctive characterisation of the area in the Regional and Structure Plans relates to Bowl Barrow, Berth Hill and Red Hill. Bowl Barrow is on Camp Hill, outside the property under consideration. Berth Hill and Red Hill (as well as Nikkerdale) are totally separate from the wind farm site, as can be seen by examining the land contours, and are further separated by the A53 road which passes between them and Maer Hills.

4. Windmills are no more alien and incongruous elements in the landscape than is the repeater station on the top of neighbouring Camp Hill. Windmills and other manmade structures have existed in the landscape for centuries. Further, the landscape of Maer Hills and environs  is entirely manmade and has been so for thousands of years (as is the landscape of all areas touched by human habitation and activity). The modern windmill design is a graceful, slender and unobtrusive structure. Tall and distinctive structures can enhance the landscape and function as landmarks. The campaigners should be demanding the removal of all telegraph poles and power pylons throughout Newcastle rural area.

7. Reduction of polluting and climate-change-inducing forms of energy generation can only improve the environment and quality of life, locally, nationally and globally.

Forest/Woodland

8.–11. The ‘working forest’ will neither survive nor be sustainable if warming caused by human-induced climate change continues unabated. Development of renewable energies, including wind energy, will be an important factor in the survival of trees and woodland. The forecast range of temperature rise, if allowed to continue unabated, is expected to turn the British Isles into a semi-tropical environment, driving the survival zone of temperate conifer species northwards. Tree cover in the region can only be successfully increased if the march of climate change can be arrested by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and changing to renewable energies. Without such developments, all efforts at protection and conservation of ‘traditional’ British woodlands will be useless. As noted above, the existing commercial woodland at Maer Hills is of little environmental or ecological value.

12. The small areas of tree cover to be removed to allow installation of the windmills and turbines amount to less than 4% of the woodland. As the tree cover is undifferentiated conifer plantation it can hardly be claimed that those trees that will be removed are visually significant. The amount of tree removal involved in the cyclical clear felling performed in commercial forestry has a far greater visual impact, and in fact creates interest in the landscape. The campaigners should realise that mature trees in the plantation are ripe for felling and that removal of trees in this landscape is inevitable.

Design

13. The slender design of modern windmills is visually unobtrusive; the structures are graceful and the slow turning of the blades has a peaceful effect. Maer Hills is currently lacking in character; as noted above, the landscape is of poor quality and would be enhanced by the windmills.

Pollution

14. Wind turbines do not cause groundwater contamination.

15. The noise from windmills is negligible. All wind turbine installations have to conform to government regulations relating to levels noise deemed acceptable in residential areas. The woodland at Maer Hills is not a residential area. The sound of the wind, of tree movement, of traffic on the nearby A51 and A53 roads, and of agricultural and forestry machinery will make it difficult if not impossible to detect any sound from the windmills.

16. Light flicker from windmill blades depends on the angle and intensity of the light source (the sun). It is therefore limited to certain times of the year and types of weather. Anyone suffering adverse effects caused by light flicker from wind turbines located in a non-residential woodland area would have to be deliberately seeking them.

17. Health and safety issues will be taken care of by the exclusion zones around the windmills. If the windmills are built to the required specifications structural collapse will not be an issue. Forest fire (unless arson) is unlikely to be a risk on Maer Hills unless climate change and associated continuing temperature rise make forest fire a natural hazard in the British Isles; changeover to renewable energies will help to mitigate this risk. Road traffic accident ‘due to distraction’ is a spurious, mischievous and irresponsible objection. It should be noted that exclusion zones (as railway embankments; motorway verges) are well known for developing ‘nature reserve’ characteristics; thus the exclusion zones around the windmills will be beneficial ecologically (see also 18. and 19.).

18. and 19. The ecological impact assessment on the wind farm is part of the planning submission and examines in detail whether and how different species on the site are likely to be affected by the development. Although the campaigners list a few animal and bird species found on Maer Hills they are unable to advance any claims as to specific types of harm arising from the wind farm. Nor are they able to say whether those species occupy a wider habitat beyond the immediate environs of Maer Hills – as some species, including owl, buzzard and badger very definitely do. Other species (including reptiles) that occupy lowland heathland habitats will benefit from the planned regeneration of the lowland heathland inside the exclusion zones.

Public amenity

20.  The Newcastle way is described as a ‘fascinating walk at any time of year ...  From rough moorland scenery around Mow Cop the Way passes through the relics of coal mining, iron furnaces and brick making to rich farming country’. The interest of the route can only be added to if it takes walkers past a modern industrial feature that will come to symbolise the 21st century, i.e. the wind farm. The proposal includes a visitors’ centre. It is hoped that it will house educational displays enabling walkers and other visitors to learn about renewable energy technologies.

Heritage

21. As noted above, sites of known archaeological importance, Bowl Barrow and Berth Hill, are not located within the confines of Maer Hills. It should be noted that these two sites are both the result of human activity.

22. and 23. The village of Maer lies in a hollow. The wind farm will be located to the north-west of Maer, beyond the high hills that enclose the village. This area is likewise the result of human activity, and could well be viewed by some as an alien and incongruous element in the natural landscape.

Cumulative impact

24. The proposed wind farms at Maer Hills and at Knighton are in completely separate locations and therefore cannot possibly have a cumulative visual impact. The application includes photomontage views from Knighton that show the Maer Hills windmills are barely visible.

25. The purpose of the road network is to facilitate travel and transport for all users and to support economic activity. Traffic associated with the construction of the wind farm will use the A51/A53 roads only during the construction period. Once the wind farm has been commissioned it will be regularly visited only once per month for servicing. If the campaigners are concerned about these two roads they would be better occupied campaigning for the revival of the railway network in the UK and radical changes in national transport policy in general.

maerhills@hotmail.co.uk

and spread the word!

Maer Hills Action Group

set up by local people in response to the proposal to build an Evolution Leisure Village