Guest guest Posted February 9, 2006 Report Share Posted February 9, 2006 Coastal wind farm tourism fears A photomontage of the view of the windfarm developments from Llandudno. Enlarge ImageA council has objected to plans for a wind farm off the coast of north Wales after hearing it could damage tourism. A study by Conwy Council officers said not enough had been done to assess the risks of siting 200 turbines 15km off Llandudno by NPower Renewables. The council, meeting on Thursday, asked for a public inquiry by the Department of Trade and Industry into the scheme. The developers said off shore wind farms elsewhere had done little to damage tourism. The wind farm - called Gwynt Y Mor - would involve wind turbines, offshore sub-stations, inter-turbine cables and an onshore sub-station. GWYNT Y MOR WIND FARM 200 wind turbines 8-9 miles off the coast 120 new jobs during operational life 500,000 homes could get electricity from wind power Source: NPower Renewables Conwy Council heard representations from both sides of the argument. A packed public gallery heard two 20 minute presentations, one by Save Our Scenery (SOS), who are opposed to the development, followed by NPower Renewables. The Llandudno project will not be decided on by the local planning authority - the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is set to judge whether it should go ahead. Councillor Gareth Jones expressed his "dismay" at the meeting that the decision would be taken outside Wales. SOS claim that as well as being detrimental to tourism, the wind farm would have an effect on noise levels, ecology and coastal defences. 'Wall of steel' John Lawson-Reay from SOS, said: "This is why people come to north Wales, they come here for the view. "Here we are talking about an area of 50 square miles, stretching 17 miles along the coast from Llandudno to Prestatyn. This is a wall of steel. "The area covered will be so great it will have a dramatic impact." A report from Conwy Council's officers expresses concern that the development has potential to harm Llandudno's tourist industry. But NPower Renewables' development manager, Alastair Gill, said existing wind farms has not had the effect of damaging tourism. Existing wind farms The company has already developed a smaller off-shore wind farm off Rhyl and Prestatyn. Mr Gill added: "The only evidence we have to go on is the existing wind farms that are out there which don't appear to have damaged the tourist industry. "The surveys we have carried out find that most people don't find wind turbines quite some way out to shore a problem that would prevent them from coming back." Peter H Cars NEW - sell your car and browse thousands of new and used cars online search now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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