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Fritwell wind farm plans thrown out

6:46pm Thursday 23rd April 2009


Councillors tonight threw out a proposal to build a controversial £10m wind farm in Fritwell near Bicester.

Villagers were opposed to the plans for four 125m tall wind turbines on farmland between Fritwell and Fewcott, claiming they would be too noisy and too close to their homes.

Last night, after Cherwell District Council’s planning committee voted unanimously against the plans, leader Barry Wood said: “As a council we are committed to do what we can to stop climate change but that does not mean that that commitment overrides commonsense.”


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old zimmer, says...
7:48pm Thu 23 Apr 09

Err I am totally confused. People campaign against, Nuclear power plants, Incinerators, Coal fired power plants, New towns, Roads that are going to be built near their homes. Under the Green/Bad for the enviroment banner. But now they campaign against the greenest of green power plant. It just proves my theory that people don't really care what IS built, as not as long as it isn't in their backyard.

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Sipi, Fritwell says...
10:28pm Thu 23 Apr 09

At last, councilors listening to the local people who elected them. I am all in favour of green renewable energy but old zimmer is right, I don't want a noisy turbine 500 meters from my home keeping my family awake all night. Put them offshore where they won't harm peoples health and blot beautiful countryside for the next 25 years. Well done again to all my local councilors, you can count on my vote again at election time.

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locodogz, bicester says...
10:00am Fri 24 Apr 09

Having previously decried NIMBYism I feel a little hypocritical in applauding this decision. That said key to this argument is the prevailing average wind speed of 15mph (reportedly) which would make this site extremely questionable as a viable wind farm. My fear is that this was never really intended to go through but that this 'concession' will be used to bulldoze the far more harmful incinerator project currently planned for nearby Ardley.

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js3, Bicester says...
11:05am Fri 24 Apr 09

Another loss for mother nature. May I suggest people in that area to turn off their electricity supply as their contribution to planet earth.

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EB, Oxford says...
11:27am Fri 24 Apr 09

Sipi you can't be serious. Are you saying that you prefer a power plant to a wind turbine on asthetic grounds? You use electricity, and it has to be made somewhere.

As for them being noisy, that's total rubbish and very outdated. Blade design has moved on in the last 20 years.

I'd happily have one in my back garden. I wish they would just build them to show people what they're really like.

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Sipi, Fritwell says...
1:05pm Fri 24 Apr 09

What I'm saying is that instead of poisoning beautiful green countryside with huge ugly turbines we should be looking at building them offshore where they won't annoy anyone. Having worked all my life in the aviation industry I do know one or two things about blade design and know its impossible to make a completly silent wind turbine.
I suggest anyone who thinks wind turbines are attractive and quiet should contact the developers as they will now be looking for somewhere else to put them. As for mother nature, the local wildlife population (inc Bats and Red Kites) would undoubtedly have suffered had this application been approved. Move the windfarms offshore.

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js3, Bicester says...
1:49pm Fri 24 Apr 09

By Sipi's reasoning roads are bad (animals cross and get killed) all railroads, motorways and airplanes are bad (very noisy compared to a wind turbine). Every house and man-made structure is bad (they spoil the nature). Notice that this includes the pylons they would put up to transport the electricity from "suggested" offshore sites.

Time to stop being selfish and embrace the fact that we consume energy and it needs to be produced somewhere and somehow.

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