BIG name backing has come forward in opposition to two proposed wind farms at Spaldington who claim the turbines would be "visually horrific, inappropriate and ineffective".
Throwing their weight behind the STOP (Spaldington Turbines Opposition Project) group is not only Howden and Haltemprice MP David Davies but MEP Godfrey Bloom and international best-selling author Frederick Forsyth.
A total of 14 turbines, which w
ill be as high as 126m and tower three times higher than Howden's landmark Minster, are proposed separately by renewable energy companies Coriolis/Falck and the German-based Volkswind.
The turbines would have to be built to off-shore scales to achieve sufficient wind power in what is described by environment experts as 'one of the lowest wind areas in the country'.
David Davis told the Courier this week: "Both of these proposed wind farms would seriously blight the lives of people who live nearby.
"In my judgement the applications are both very ill-advised and I would strongly recommend that the council turns them down."
A STOP spokesman said author Frederick Forsyth had also backed their campaign.
'It is unprecedented that such huge turbines will be built so close to homes.
"Local residents are incredibly worried that we can't do anything about it. We feel bullied into something that no-one wants.'
East Riding of Yorkshire Council has already exceeded its renewable energy targets and the building of these wind farms would, according to STOP, 'be at the expense of the environment, not to save it'.
Among concerns raised by the hundreds of people from the north Howden, Eastrington and Spaldington areas, are: the negative visual impact the 14 turbines would have on the area; the devastation to local roads and the environment during the long-term building process; their proximity to residential properties, well-used footpaths and bridleways; potential noise, vibration and electronic interference; their impact on the local environment and wildlife; Breighton Airfield could face closure because the turbines would be directly in its flight path.
Godfrey Bloom MEP for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire said: "I am supporting Spaldington as I have all the other tranquil areas of my constituency which are threatened by these monsters.
"They don't even work. The Denmark experiment has been a disaster. This is all about political correctness accompanied by greed."
Experienced anti-wind farm campaigner Mike Barnard, who travelled from Cambridgeshire to lend his support at a recent packed public meeting, said: "What is being proposed for Spaldington is unprecedented in the UK. It is totally unacceptable."
Spaldington resident Heather Burton said: 'Increasing evidence suggests that wind farms create more environmental problems than they solve.
"If the development of these farms continues, it won't be very long before the Howdenshire countryside and rural areas right across the UK are spoilt for ever by unsightly and inefficient turbines."
