Name : Vian John Lloyd
Town, County, Country : Swansea.
Date : 03/10/2012
David Owen, DC Case Officer (Planning)
Planning Services
The Environment Department
Civic Centre, Oystermouth Road
Swansea, SA1 3SN
Dear Mr Owen
Planning Application 2012/1221
Site Address : Mynydd Y Gwair, Swansea
Please accept this objection to the proposal detailed in this planning application.
My particular concerns include the following: Marked with þ
On Landscape grounds:
þ Threat to open access nature of the common.
þ Negative cumulative impact on the landscape, especially as turbines are already present at Ffynnon Oer, and consented/being erected on Mynydd Betws.
On grounds of Recreation and Enjoyment:
þ Disruption, risk of injury, and threat to their recreational enjoyment for members of the public using this open access common, including ramblers and balloonists. Horse riders and cyclists use the road that passes through the common, and their enjoyment of it is also under threat.
þ Damage to tourism in the immediate area e.g., Ramblers, bird watchers, visual impact from the eþisting Gower AONB and the Brecon Beacons National Park.
þ Unacceptable increase in traffic during construction, maintenance and decommissioning of turbines.
On Safety grounds:
þ Proximity of turbines to roads (e.g. Risk of driver distraction).
þ Safety concerns, e.g. ice fall from blades and risk of fire in the event of lightning strikes. The former could lead to road closures/injury, the latter is a particular concern owing to the presence of both grassland and peat; if a fire takes hold it could burn for weeks and spread over a very large area.
On grounds of Economic Impact:
þ Infrastructure concerns, e.g. concerning large loads, negative impacts on roads, access to hospitals, schools etc.
þ Multiple risks to the local economy.
þ Damage to and disturbance of peat, that locks down carbon, and which makes this an irrational location to site wind turbines.
þ Damage to and disturbance of blanket bog, a priority habitat under both the UK and Local Biodiversity Action Plan.
þ Reinstatement would not be complete/adequate. Turbine foundations, etc, are left in place even if turbines are decommissioned, and peat takes an eceedingly long time to form.
þ Risk of landslips, owing to former mining activity in the area, and changes to the hydrology of the area if construction were to occur.
þ Hydrology issues/negative impacts on the catchment area for the Upper Lliw Reservoir and damage to source of two rivers. Damage to springs that Farms and dwellings rely heavily on.
þ Risks to many species protected by European and other laws, including otter, red kite, skylarks, golden plover and several species of bats.
On grounds of Commoners' Issues:
þ Threat to commoners livelihoods and way of life, e.g. owing to disruption of hefted flocks.
þ Threat to livestock/animal welfare issues.
þ Risks associated with a change of permitted land use for the site to general industrial use, e.g. future uses (post turbines) of the land.
þ Threat of joy riders accessing wind farm tracks.
Additional Personal Objections:
When working in Egypt (labour costs being less than a third of those in Germany) an enquiry was received by a steel fabricator to fabricate Wind Turbine Towers from a German company, this is an indication that the Wind Turbine suppliers shop around and far afield for the cheapest supplier & the cheapest steel products in an attempt to maximise their profit - European labour market and European unemployment & risk of materials with inherent stress failure factors dont even enter the equation.
Vian Lloyd.
