Some finks have decided they want to build a wind turbine in the next village. As I'm passionately opposed to these things in general and this one in particular I offered to help. They asked if I could set up a website like this one:
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I agreed to try which is why I'm here. I regard myself as computer capable but I've never set up a website nor do I understand Facebook or blogging.
Simply copying the above site (for a village 8 miles away) to a new URL and editing it would do if that's possible.
I need help urgently because as a result of skulduggery and ineptitude we only have two weeks to object.
Talking to the webmaster at the URL you pointed at would be a start.
It would be very impolite to clone his site without asking permission. Who knows he might offer you hosting for a nominal sum in which case all you would need would be your own URL.
Your site won't get high enough on Google in the remaining two weeks so I suggest you go for letters to the local paper and council as the first priority. You probably want a tame teenager for Facebooking!
I am only against wind turbines when they are installed too close to habitation or in regions with low windspeed to farm the grants.
Together "we" stand perhaps divided "they" fall;)...
I'm against the stupid things anywhere apart from perhaps some remote place where there is no possibility of mains power and you need very little capacity but for real power applications..no way!...
Especially as he says on the site that he will be delighted to help other campaigners looking to object to wind farm applications.
+1
I am against them as they are an inefficient and expensive way to generate electricity and are very wasteful of land. As I have said before, I would much rather live near a nuclear power plant than near a wind farm.
Having looked at the site now - that one is pure nimbyism. That size of turbine will only really annoy the owner if it is too near his house.
I'll declare an interest in that I have previously helped campaign against some 10x 2MW that were destined to be installed very close to a village and less than 200m from the schoolyard and with the village downwind for prevailing so that it would get the full benefit of wing tip vortex noise. It is quiet enough under turbines it is only where the wind shear brings the noise into the ground that there is a problem.
I have nothing against wind power provided it is installed somewhere that is suitably windy and the units are actually used. Nissan plant keep 9/10 working whereas further down the A19 1/3 is typical.
Write to every local paper within 30 miles, your MP, your district and county councillers and the leaders of said councils, the parish council, any council planning department that maybe involved.
Object to the apparent two weeks notice and the procedures that have not been followed not just the turbine. You do need to have done your home work and researched carefully what applications/forms have or haven't been completed. Pointing out that due procedure hasn't been followed may well be more effective in the long term as it will put up their costs. At this point it may well buy you more time.
Of course asking all the normal and awkward questions as well:
Flicker: No habitation the flicker zone at *any* time of day or year. Ask for the maps, verify they are accurate.
Noise: Not weighted to the response of the human ear but flat from a few Hz up. That will require fight as "they" are of the opinion that noise you can't hear, can't hurt you. Infrasound isn't like that.
Wildlife: Lots of animals and birds are seasonal.
Ask for baseline surveys of the above and any others you can think of, taken before construction starts. The noise one should be done inside and out at every property within at least a couple of miles of the proposed site under varying wind conditions (direction and speed). They can't really object as to do so half admits there could be a issue and they are not willing to shoot themselves in the foot.
The Wildlife one ought to take at least a year due to the seasonal nature. See if there are any rare species nearby, newts, toads, bats ...
TBH I'd be some what surprised if you only have two weeks to object to actual building permission, sure it's not a wind survey? Either way object about any and everything, question everything they produce, just make their life as hard and as difficult (thus costly) as possible.
Agreed, get as many independant letters, objections, questions etc as possible into the relevant councilors, planning departments, MPs etc as possible. Pointing people at website for more information; how to object, who to object to, what to object to etc is useful but it's only a resource not the main tool. Have outline form letters, not one that people just need to print out and sign. 100 copies of the same letter don't have as much impact as fewer individual letters. All the points in a form letter can be dealt with in one hit, the variable points and questions from individual letters tend to force them to being dealt with individually. If people don't get satisfactory answers they can follow up, a form letter can have a form response...
Use of Facebook, Twitter to raise the profile of the campagine and the website for further info has value (for those that are on Facebook/Twitter, but a lot of people aren't)
The wording of most petition statements I've seen normally lacks precision and is more "knee jerk" and emotion, which weakens them IMHO. A precisely aimed and worded one with lots of signatures might have some value.
Also, if you are objecting, be aware that the local planners are only allowed to consider objections based on *planning* considerations. They are not allowed to consider letters that merely say "I don't like it". There has to be a planning reason to object, e.g. it will contravene the Local Plan.
Are the turbines going to spoil a beautiful view? Only relevant AFAIK if that view has been designated an amenity of some sort in the Local Plan. And that has already to be in place for that view, otherwise it's too late.
Your District Council will have the Local Plan, if any.
One of the more novel approaches taken by UKIP councillors in Haverhill was to claim that the proposed installation was NOT BUG ENOUGH to make full use of the site.
Knowing full well that it was deliberately reduced to make best use of the FIT scheme.
We know all about writing letters, "planning" reasons for objections, contacting the press etc.
I'm not interested in people finding the web site by search engine; the web address will be put on posters in the shop, the pubs and through people's letter boxes so they can find the reasons to object and some sample letters to download.
Although the notification letters started the clock they weren't received until 6 days after the date on the letter nor was one sent to the local parish council. We think this is grounds for objection.
The local Staffordshire Moorlands District councillor, on whose GREEN BELT land the turbine is to be built, has not mentioned this to anybody although she must have known about it for months and sees the parish councillors at least once a month.
Last night a meeting was held. 140 people turned up even though it was blowing a gale and raining; this was all that could be fitted into the chapel. Fewer people would turn up if the end of the world was nigh. Every household present should send a couple of letters.
An emergency meeting of the parish council is scheduled for next Tuesday.
In short, I still need advice on setting up a web site.
I know it sounds crude, but if you want an instant way of putting up a page or two of info you could use Dropbox. It has a 'public' folder that anyone can access, if you quote the URL (the 'address'). Here are two (random) examples:
A page in jpg format:
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A page in Word format:
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You can set Dropbox up very easily. If you don't want to do that, send me the page or pages and I'll put them on Dropbox and give you the URL. You could do it yourself very easily though.
If you want some thing cheap and cheerful then register a domain name at
123-reg and take their cheapest beginners hosting package.
Hack whatever you need together in Word (or better the free Wysiwyg Web Editor BlueGriffin) as a front page and link the docs you want online. Upload them, test it for link capitalisation errors and you are done.
Facebook - ask any teenager (can be done almost instantly and free).
Encourage people to write their own freeform letters - identikit boilerplate letters of complaint will get boilerplate replies.
Make sure that any objections are factually accurate.
The proposers of an application near me made great play of the fact that some people who had objected had their facts wrong. It only takes a couple of objections with inaccuracies (that quote for instance the wrong height/span for the turbine or compare the installation to one comprising of different size units) and the applicant will make great headway.
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