Green Building Forum - Wind farm noise in court

Wind farm noise in court

windy lamb — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 15:17:50 +0100

Joiner -
if the 20kW turbine is 200m from the owner's house - no problem. But if it's 200m from a neighbour's house that's too close and will most likely give rise to various issues. Installer should be advising against such close proximity. We've been here before a few pages ago on this thread.

Wind farm noise in court

SteamyTea — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 15:20:01 +0100

Is a chicken farm silent then, for that matter is any farm silent.

Wind farm noise in court

DamonHD — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 16:14:26 +0100

No, nor odour-free.

But you'd be astonished at what new neighbours expect when they move in!

Rgds

Damon

Wind farm noise in court

renewablejohn — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 16:30:03 +0100

Posted By: SteamyTeaIs a chicken farm silent then, for that matter is any farm silent.http://1.2.3.12/bmi/www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/forum114/extensions/Vanillacons/smilies/standard/confused.gif" alt="" title="" >

My farm is at the moment. Some little guy is inside my tractor engine with a sledgehammer trying to get out. So all is quiet until we can find out whats going wrong.

Wind farm noise in court

Joiner — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 16:55:59 +0100

Nick, we've been all through the distinction between constant, repetitive, rhythmic noise and frequent-but-different noise before.

The proximity to the residential home is my only concern because of the nature of the scheme. But I have also made the point to those protesting the installation that it's a fairly big chicken farm with industrial-sized ventilation systems. They also have recourse to noise nuisance legislation which could see the turbines switched off at night if things prove to be that bad.

Just wish they'd have applied a little more forethought before making enemies of an entire village and really doing their utmost to turn people away from what otherwise would have been a sensible scheme like this - and others like it - with machines of <250 kW.

The planning application is also for: "Installation of a 1,324 solar photovoltaic roof mounted panels on two existing chicken units".

...so hardly short of power! The cost of running on-grid in the event of a forced night-time shut down will be more than offset by what's earned during daylight hours, although the carbon footprint will be marginally greater.

The details can be had from here...

Turbine installation... http://planningpa.shropshire.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=LZJWUMTDF0000

PV installation... http://planningpa.shropshire.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=LI7IXVTD07200

Use the postcode to find it on Google Earth and you'll be taken to the farmhouse of the owner. You'll recognise the chicken farm location of the turbine from the outline of the buildings on the application, it's "to the right" of the postcode location. The residential home is directly beneath the chicken farm.

The local councillor for the area was quoted in the local rag as saying he was in favour of the scheme because it was "a mile from the village". I don't think the clown wants to get voted back in next time. I don't think he was being disingenuous, just incredibly stupid. And they make the decisions!

Wind farm noise in court

renewablejohn — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:14:08 +0100

What on earth is the point of putting up a 20kw turbine on a farm besides cluttering up the countryside with more ironmongery. At the average wind speed for the area you would probably get 4kw output certainly not sufficient to run our farm and very much doubt a chicken farm. We calculated the other way around with an on site requirement of 30kw which equates at an average wind speed to a 250kw turbine.

Wind farm noise in court

Joiner — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:17:21 +0100

And yes, chicken farms do smell!

For the record, I do think the landowner has been thorough and open with the information he's supplied with the application.

I'll grant that there will always be a trade-off between maintaining the goodwill of local communities and meeting the survival needs of a local business which employs local people, because this sort of scheme hardly constitutes a wind farm by anyone's definition.

Wind farm noise in court

Joiner — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 17:18:54 +0100

Ha ha. In that case, John, perhaps they did it just to piss off the people they knew would protest!

Wind farm noise in court

seascape — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 19:21:41 +0100

The huge metal chicken shed that I came across on a walk in a Kent valley was completely silent surrounded by 2m high walls with rolls of barbed wire on top. The stench was unbelievably awful and seemed to be coming from some vents in the roofs, which were bubbling and frothing out some noxious, feathery liquid. Eggs for tea anyone?

Wind farm noise in court

Joiner — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 19:33:55 +0100

Edited by Joiner because on re-reading he felt he was being a bit harsh on politicians, planners, local councillors, and nosey neighbours, because they can't be all bad.

Wind farm noise in court

SteamyTea — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:23:19 +0100

I like cheap eggs, the shells break easily. Not so keen when the hens have been fed on fishmeal though

Wind farm noise in court

renewablejohn — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 08:38:57 +0100

Posted By: JoinerHa ha. In that case, John, perhaps they did it just to piss off the people they knew would protest!http://1.2.3.9/bmi/www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/forum114/extensions/Vanillacons/smilies/standard/bigsmile.gif" alt="" title="" >

Could be a grain of truth in that. Looking at the site with all the chicken sheds on you would normally look at the highest hub height possible so in there range the 100kw on 30 mtr mast makes far more sense then 20kw on a 20 mtr mast. Dont be surprised if you get a revised planning application for the 100kw turbine.

Local chicken farm to use has a 250kw turbine and his house is approx 50 mtrs away from the turbine. To be honest its not the turbine what you can hear but the constant drum of the ventilation fans.

Wind farm noise in court

ted — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 09:04:03 +0100

If anyone can stand the tedium the noise hearing for Brechfa West wind farm is now available as a set of sound recordings on the NPI website:

http://infrastructure.planningportal.gov.uk/projects/wales/brechfa-forest-west-wind-farm/?ipcsection=hearings

This is, currently, the only onshore wind farm to run under the NSIP process of the Planning Act 2008 (and what was the IPC before it was abolished).

You will be treated to my dulcet tones as I spoke for Grwp Blaengwen on amplitude modulation.

Wind farm noise in court

windy lamb — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:51:02 +0100

Going back to the chicken farm - I like the comment about screening from a line of Larch trees - need to get them down if the Turbines gonna perform!!!!

Wind farm noise in court

Joiner — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 12:21:29 +0100

What I find incredible is the insistence on more protection for the trees in the immediate area than people!

Wind farm noise in court

Joiner — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 12:42:35 +0100

Ted - Which session and roughly how far in?

Just listened to one which ranged from bats to the failure of the developers to stick to their promises.

Very reasonable sounding Inspector. But then aren't they all until they publish!

Wind farm noise in court

ted — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:26:06 +0100

The noise sessions 1,2,3 and 4. I'm probably in most of them at various points but I haven't had time yet to go through them all and find the times of my contributions.

Perhaps I should release a compilation as "Greatest Hits".

Wind farm noise in court

DamonHD — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 14:28:32 +0100

And re-release periodically as slightly different compilations, remixed and a new dance video.

Possibly avoiding any dance move known as "windmilling" however.

Rgds

Damon

Wind farm noise in court

SteamyTea — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 17:29:31 +0100

Posted By: DamonHDPossibly avoiding any dance move known as "windmilling" however.

Or just avoid Dance Music.

How about a nice Ballard?

Wind farm noise in court

DamonHD — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 18:19:54 +0100

JG?

Wind farm noise in court

SteamyTea — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 21:59:24 +0100

Wind farm noise in court

Joiner — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 22:33:10 +0100

No Steamy! No, no, no. Please say that was a joke!

Wind farm noise in court

SteamyTea — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 06:36:49 +0100

Nope, still don't get it

Wind farm noise in court

JSHarris — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 07:44:06 +0100

Posted By: SteamyTeaNope, still don't get it

His first novel was "The wind from nowhere"...............

Wind farm noise in court

CWatters — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 08:25:48 +0100

A planning application for a wind farm near us does not include the grid connection. We had assumed they would connect into the pylons across the site but seems not. There is one line in it that says "probably by underground connection to" a village a few miles away.

I believe electricity companies may have some rights to install cables without allways needing the land owners permission but does anyone know the exact position on this?

Wind farm noise in court

ted — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 09:03:10 +0100

Electricity Act 1989 - section 37 applies to overhead lines. Not sure about underground. They would also need planning permission with appropriate notice to landowners and neighbours affected.

In some circumstances (not all) the impact of the grid connection must be included in the EIS for the generation site.

Wind farm noise in court

Joiner — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 09:08:45 +0100

What are the exceptions in your "(not all)", Ted?

It's important. Would they have anything to do with the exceptions to having to do an EIA at all, viz 'size' of development?

Wind farm noise in court

windy lamb — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 11:57:44 +0100

I thought that only the largest of Grid installations could be installed across land against the wishes of the landowner - bit like compulsory purchase....such like is going on in Mid-Wales (Newtown) where the cables from a number of wind farms are proposed along a single route. The threshold of the size I don't know but seems a 11-33kV line has to have the landowners permission and (I think) you can ask an existing to be re-routed (probably only in theory).

I always thought it a complete nonsense that a wind farm application didn't necessarily need to include details of electricity line routes - like those in Mid-Wales where the wind farms have permission but the connection to the Grid does not.

Wind farm noise in court

ted — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 14:48:05 +0100

Dave, you need to read this - http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/157989.pdf

plus possibly a few of the other documents that it refers to.

Wind farm noise in court

ted — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:11:26 +0100

This is Circular 2/99 referred to - http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/155958.pdf