Kingsbridge

Plans for a wind farm in the South Hams have been rejected for a third time. But how can we fight global warming when no one is prepared to accept renewable energy sources such as wind, writes John Edgar.

South Hams District Council's planning committee turned down the latest proposals to build three 100m-high turbines on farmland between the villages of Goveton and East Allington, near Kingsbridge.

Each of the turbines at the Beech Farm site would each have generated up to five megawatts of power - enough for about 2,000 homes.

Cornwall Light and Power Company, the firm behind the plans, was extremely disappointed with the decision and so am I.

The green credentials of the Beech Farm project appear very impressive, and will make a huge contribution to the Government's National Energy Strategy, which recommends that in Devon onshore wind power should provide at least 103 megawatts of installed electricity capacity by 2010.

Understandably, the objections have been made based on the fact that the wind farm will be an eyesore, and spoil the natural habitat. However, the South Hams coastline is exactly the type of area that is threatened by global warming and rising sea levels. Wind farms are one of the cheapest methods to attempt to combat the problem with renewable energy.

Calls have been made to look at other methods of renewable energy, but there are problems. The UK does not have enough sunshine for solar power to operate effectively, wave and tidal power is still at the development stage, while higher costs are associated with nuclear energy or a barrage.

Offshore wind farms also have a much higher cost than onshore farms, while the need for shallow water makes suitable locations difficult to find.

There have been worries that the wind farm will have a negative impact on tourism, but there is no substantial evidence to support this claim, and in fact the wind turbines could become a form of tourist attraction themselves.

Because there are strict guidelines for noise standards when installing wind turbines, noise pollution should not be an issue. According to Devon Wind Power, the sound of a working wind farm is less than that from normal road traffic or an office.

The UK is the windiest country in Europe, and the South Hams has some of the most consistently high wind speeds in south Devon. Although it will of course be upsetting to many local residents, it seems that this particular site is the most appropriate location for a wind farm.

It is pleasing to see that the Government is actually beginning to make changes which, in the long run, should make a difference to the amount of pollution we are contributing to the environment. Most surveys suggest that the average person also wants to be more environmentally friendly, but it is clear that when it actually comes down to selecting specific locations for green projects, it is the local residents that are affected most.

The majority of complaints against a wind farm at Beech Farm are based on their negative visual impact, and the fact that they are spoiling the natural beauty of the area. The irony is that their very purpose is to save the natural beauty of the area in the long run, by cutting the amount of harmful emissions we release into the atmosphere and ultimately slow down the rate at which we are destroying our planet.

It is all very well agreeing to cut carbon emissions and become more environmentally friendly, but unless we are actually prepared to make a few sacrifices along the way, we won't make any changes for the better.