Opposition to Porthcawl Offshore Windfarm Premature and Unfair

Local opposition to the proposed 30 turbine offshore windfarm at Porthcawl is premature and could have damaging implications say Friends of the Earth Cymru (1). The group, founded in Porthcawl in 1984, has expressed its disappointment that debate in the town "has been driven by ignorance and scaremongering".

The environmental campaigners say that the outcome of detailed studies should be awaited before minds are made up. The group points to the "scaremongering" about the windfarm being generated by local protesters which is very similar to that against onshore windfarms.

Friends of the Earth Cymru say that if the current modelling and studies (2) indicated that surf on Porthcawl's beaches would be significantly reduced then that would certainly count against the scheme. Yet, the turbines would be over three miles offshore and initial studies suggest no impact either positive or negative.

The campaigners argue that if there are no significant negative impacts to surf or birds then the scheme should go ahead. The group dismisses as "baseless" suggestions by Porthcawl SOS, the windfarm opposition group, that the wind turbines would be noisy. Friends of the Earth Cymru also points to studies which suggest that as many or more people may find the windfarm attractive as those who say that it would be visually damaging (3).

The proposed turbine site on Scarweather Sands about 4 miles off Porthcawl is one of 18 sites around the UK proposed in the first tranche of offshore windfarms.

Julian Rosser, Head of Campaigns at Friends of the Earth Cymru, first joined Friends of the Earth in Porthcawl in 1989 (4). He commented:

"It is tragic that debate in Porthcawl has been so dominated by misinformation and baseless rumour. Locally, it seems it has been left to the group Sustainable Wales to give people real information about wind energy while some local politicians are simply jumping on the anti-wind bandwagon.

"Surely, yet another bout of severe weather this weekend should make people think about the costs to us all of global warming? We all have a responsibility to tackle this problem and renewable energy must be the way ahead for Wales. Climate Change will do far more harm to Porthcawl than a windfarm ever could. In fact, a windfarm at this site could boost tourism in the resort as people come to view it. It could also create much needed jobs which would help diversify the economy in the area.

"We can understand the concern of local residents and this application should be dealt with in a fair, open and transparent way which allows all to have their say. Unfortunately, members of Porthcawl SOS are twisting the public debate without offering any alternatives.

"The UK Government is poised to order a new round of nuclear power stations for the UK. If we fail to support the use of renewables in Wales then we will be facing plans for nuclear expansion once again. This is not an empty threat - it is the real political situation as it is unfolding.

"Porthcawl should be a vibrant town, rich in forward thinking and environmental activism. It is sad to such a negative attitude to clean energy coming to the fore. We appeal to the people of Porthcawl, and the whole area, to judge this proposal on its merits and find out more about the benefits of wind energy rather than knee-jerking us all into a nuclear future."

Notes

1) United Utilities Scarweather Sands Windfarm Exhibition 'gatecrashed' by protesters on Friday 25th Oct (although we understand that they were invited). A blue flag was burned to symbolise damage to the beach.

2) Studies and physical modelling being carried out by Allied British Ports (ABP).

3) LATEST SURVEY DISPELS MYTH THAT TOURISTS ARE PUT OFF BY WIND FARMS:

Nine out of ten tourists visiting some of Scotland's top beauty spots say the presence of wind farms makes no difference to the enjoyment of their holiday, and twice as many people would return to an area because of the presence of a wind farm than would stay away, according to a poll carried out by MORI Scotland.

A face-to-face survey of more than 300 visitors to Argyll, commissioned jointly by the British Wind Energy Association and the Scottish Renewables Forum, found that 91% said the presence of wind farms in the area made no difference to whether they would return, dispelling the myth that wind farms and tourism cannot co-exist. About 1 in 5 had actually seen one of the three wind farms in Argyll and when asked what effect if any they had had on their impression of Argyll, 55% of these people said "generally or completely positive", 32% "ambivalent" and only 8% "negative".

Detailed interviews were carried out over two September weekends near some of Argyll's top beauty spots and, unsurprisingly, found that the scenery was by far the main attraction of the area. Questioned about the attraction or otherwise of wind farm visitor and information centres, eight out of ten people said they would be interested in visiting one during their stay.

The poll, the first major test of opinion of visitors in a scenic area where wind farms are already operating, backs recent Scottish Executive surveys of residents near wind farms whose opinion of the sites became more positive after it became operational.

MORI interviewed 307 tourists face-to-face in five locations: Tarbet, Inverary, Oban, Campbeltown and Lochgilphead during the weekends of 21-23 and 27-29 September 2002.

For more information on the MORI poll contact Maf Smith at SRF on 01259 272 117 or Simon McMillan at Scottish Power on 0141 566 4875.

The Executive Summary can be downloaded.

(4) Julian Rosser first joined Friends of the Earth in Porthcawl in 1989 and was an active member of both Porthcawl, and later Ogwr, Friends of the Earth groups before working for the organisation at a Wales-wide level.