Onshore Wind Farms in Dorset

You can watch a recording of the webinar or pass it on to others through  this link.

Agenda

• Introduction to Onshore wind in West Dorset – Giles Watts
• Attitudes to Wind Farms in Dorset – Ben Kenward
• Lessons from Slyers Lane wind farm campaign – Jeanie Averill
• Alaska wind Farm in Purbeck – history and progress – Will Bond.

Giles Watts  stressed the importance of repealing Footnote 54 of the national planning policy framework , which effectively makes new turbines nearly  impossible.  The government appears to have gone back on its manifesto pledge.[The most recent episode of the News Agents podcast includes an excellent interview with Lord Deben, the outgoing chair of the climate change committee.-ed]

His conclusions were:
1.  Onshore Wind has a number of distinct advantages to accelerate progress towards Net Zero.
2. Public opinion is moving in favour of renewable energy including onshore wind and so is the politics
3. Modern Turbines are larger but they are quieter with very little flicker. Some people actually like them !
4. We could move forward to decarbonize locally and give people lower energy prices and a stake in their energy future

Ben Kenward’s presentation can be seen on this link, and full details of his research are here

Abstract:

1.     Most South English rural people want turbines
2.     There is a great deal of pluralistic ignorance ** **  associated with wind farms, “ a phenomenon which occurs when people mistakenly believe that everyone else holds a different opinion than their own. ​​Most people in a group may go along with a view they do not agree with, because they incorrectly think that most other people in the group agree with it”  (Wikipedia)
3.     The predictors of opposition for specified local wind plan: Educated, Conservative, Older Men are more likely to oppose wind turbines;  supporters tend to have a belief in UK economic benefits from renewables; are concerned about climate change, and worry about own energy bills

Thank you to Jeanie Averill for her brilliantly concise history of the campaign to support the Slyers Lane wind farm. The take-home message was that by focussing on the positive of the proposed wind farm, the campaign gained a lot of support, and refusing to rise to the negative and often misinformed comments of the people who opposed it.

Will Bond’s continued campaign to install his four turbines and a solar array at Alaska Farm is an inspiration to all of us – dogged determination in the face of strong and sometimes disproportionate opposition appears to be about to bear fruit.  He will be a Good Ancestor to his descendants.

Other reading can be found in this FoE briefing sheet  https://policy.friendsoftheearth.uk/reports/lack-suitable-areas-onshore-wind-local-plans