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There will be a number of intrusions into our lives, including loss of Visual amenity, noise and congestion. Loss of Visual amenity The
ridge line at Cefn Coed will have three large solid structures mounted in a
line, the overall height of these is over 90 metres (300 feet ). These
structures are twice the height of the tallest pylons that carry electricity. Pylons
however, have a skeleton structure which means that you can see through parts of
the structure at the background. The
turbines are a solid structure,
so it is not possible to see anything in the
background. This
has the effect of making them stand
out even more. Whatever colour they are painted they will be in silhouette at
some time, mainly in the late afternoon through to the evening.
They will be seen from virtually all parts of the Ceiriog Valley
Noise The
proposed installation at Cefn Coed is for three turbines mounted in a Cluster. They
will be tall, solid structures carrying three bladed propellers. The noise is mainly produced by the tip of the blade as it passes the structure. It makes a noise similar to a helicopter blade. How
loud will this noise be? The
calculations for the level of noise are long and complex, but in a nutshell
something like this. Sound
is a pressure wave that travels through air, the louder the noise the higher the
pressure and the farther it will travel. Certain
things will reduce or absorb some of this pressure. such as distance, wind
direction and the frequency of the noise. How
loud is a turbine? The
theoretical noise level is stated in the planning application document as about
35 to 45 DB. This
equates to standing next to a television at normal volume. This may not seem loud, but could you sleep with a TV on in your bedroom?.
Distance Of
course no one would like to sleep at the base of the turbine, but if the wind is
in the right (or wrong )direction then the sound will travel on the wind. As a
general rule, the higher the volume of sound is when it is made, the further it
will travel. The
figures given in the proposal report indicate that the sound will carry for
about 15Km or about 9 miles. However,
these figures are based on theory, not reality. The
real situation is that there will be three turbines and they will add the noise
together. The Ceiriog Valley is long and narrow so the noise is likely to be
funneled down it like an ear trumpet. The background noise will be increased by
the turbines and unrelenting. The
planning support document does not guarantee what the noise level will be but states
- due
to the cost of an independent noise prediction survey it would not be
carried out until the planning consent was given This means that they will put them up and then tell us how loud they will be.
Frequency
High
frequency noise is sharp and high pitched like a whistle or a scream and
generally will not travel as far as low frequency noise. Low
frequency noise is low rumbling and like a moan or thunder, this type of noise
travels the furthest The noise made by the turbines will be low frequency.
The sound is probably like a whooshing noise with a droning beat to it. This
sound will be louder as wind speed rises.
NOISE
MADE
WIND SPEED
Congestion
The
construction traffic that will have to pass along narrow country lanes and
roads will not only clog up the already well used roads, but will lead in some
places to the roads having to be strengthened and widened. This will be
necessary to support the very large and heavy trucks and equipment needed to
lay the foundation for and to erect the turbines. According to the predictions
in the planning support document there will be;
329
1200 Smaller vehicles like vans or landrovers
These
vehicles will have an intense effect for over six months on our tranquil
setting, with dust, noise and increased traffic. Some of these large vehicles will weigh over 500 tons, some will be over 30metres long (about 90 feet). Although the application support document says that “they will improve the roads” to allow these heavy, large and unwanted trucks to get to the site, no mention is given of the disruption to the roads or the diversions that will have to take place until the roads will be improved, how many extra trucks and vehicles will be needed to do this work and over what period.
Conclusion
There
will be a significant loss of visual amenity, increased background noise, RF
interference and severe disruption to the roads during the construction phase.
No
d
The
long term implication of the planning application is that it is not just for
three clusters of turbines, but it will set a precedent for other landowners
to have them erected on their land and further blot our landscape.
Information Provider : Gary Crossley
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Last modified: June 03, 2004 |
