wind turbine

[corylus]

does anybody have experience of a domestic wind turbine situated near to their property, ie noise, vibration, unsightliness etc. Neighbour hoping to site one within 100m of my property, any comments appreciated.

[Answerprancer]

If you discover you have the power to halt its installation (planning objections etc) why not instead make friends with your neighbour and see if s/he will do a power sharing deal with you so both households can buy out of the national grid.
..Just a thought.

[RoyH]

It shouldn't be an issue as long as it is properly installed and maintained. As for unsightliness, a lot of people (me included) think they are graceful, as well as being good for the environment. I twitter on this, and related subjects at [email protected] if you want to check it out. I think you'll find some useful information there :o)

[jomifl]

I once worked for a short time on a windfarm in germany, these turbines were whoppers, the hub was 100 feet high and the blade came to within 20 feet of the ground. You could only hear them if the blade passed over your head. Strangely enough when the wind is blowing enough to make them produce electricity you can hear bugger all because of the noise the wind makes blowing through the vegetation. It is not a good idea to fix them to houses because if it is small enough to fix to a house it is not high enough too small to be worthwhile having it. Having had a yacht with a wind turbine, I have personal experience of the vibration that is transmitted into the supporting structure, comforting to know that it is charging your batteries, but in a strong wind a bit unsettling.

[bushbaby_de]

They will need planning permission so you should get a letter through the door from your local Council when they apply - you can make objections in writing in response.

[corylus]

thanks everybody, we shall be objecting to planning dept as person concerned has enough land to site this blot on our landscape well away from us behind his own house.

Our main objection is that the panoramic view from our house and garden will be ruined by this 15m structure with 5-6m blades on the top of it. Hardly an unobtrusive addition to the landscape, and one has to question the efficiency of such turbines.

[shawfarmholidays]

Please remember the location of the wind turbine has a massive impact on how effective it is. They may have chosen the location near you as that is the windiest spot, rather than going through the hassle of the planning process you should get in touch with them directly and tell them about your concerns and ask why they have chosen the location. If of course they are unwilling to discuss it with you then place your objection offically. The only way wind turbines will be accepted is if the local people are consulted. We hope to put one up on our farm in the future but will not do anything without consulting our neigbours first as the planning process is so time consuming and expensive! Regards noise - you should not be able to hear a 15m turbine from more than 50m away.