(This letter has been been recently mailed to the 77 Lincolnshire County Councillors)

Dear Councillor, 

We are a group of Lincolnshire residents who are concerned with recent pronouncements from Lincolnshire County Council on the development of wind farms in Lincolnshire.

The recent survey launched on the County Council web site is preceded by this statement. “A tough stand against wind farms has already been taken by Lincolnshire County Council, and we’d like to make that official policy. However, it’s only right that we should first ask your opinion”.

Our questions are these;

•      Why incur costs to create official policy on matters outside your statutory duties?
•           Are you not contravening DCLG code of recommended practice for Local Authority publicity, particularly the reference to balance and factual accuracy?

  “Local authorities should ensure that publicity relating to policies and proposals from central government is balanced and factually accurate. Such publicity may set out the local authority’s views and reasons for holding those views, but should avoid anything likely to be perceived by readers as constituting a political statement, or being a commentary on contentious areas of public policy.” https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/5670/1878324.pdf

•        Is an online survey, containing questions with a degree of bias, launched within a very narrow time frame, really the best way to gain a mandate for “official policy” ?

In our view it is essential that a proven, efficient, low carbon technology such as wind should be dealt with impartially by our planning authorities. The world is changing and we must accept that “business as usual” is a rapidly vanishing option. The government’s renewed commitment to the potentially damaging search for shale gas admirably indicates the level of desperation regarding the future of UK energy supply.

We need to install at least double the current capacity of on shore wind generation by 2020 to get within touching distance of the UK’s commitment to renewable energy. Virtually all the units of electricity we produce with wind power conserve gas resources for the future. We should not be advocating, directly or indirectly, the unnecessary consumption of this irreplaceable fuel.

In conclusion, wind power has a significant capacity to help boost the Lincolnshire economy. Please find the time to read more about the economic impact of wind turbines online at Economic impacts of onshore wind

We ask for your support to prevent the creation of an “official” anti-wind farm policy by Lincolnshire County Council.

Yours sincerely    

James Pocklington

On behalf of Lincolnshire Pro Wind Alliance

These are the on line survey questions                   and my comments

2. Wind farms should play a part in meeting Lincolnshire’s future energy needs * Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree No opinion	Wind farms are part of a national strategy to install renewable energy for the UK. Is it feasible or even desirable to demand that electricity generated in Lincolnshire is consumed in Lincolnshire?
3. Any wind farm development should give due regard to other social and environmental considerations * Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree No opinion	It is extremely unlikely that anyone would disagree with that statement so why ask it?
4. How important are the following factors in deciding where to locate new wind farm developments?	All of the following factors are important considerations in the location of wind farms.
a. The impact on Lincolnshire’s landscapes, including areas of outstanding natural beauty and coastal conservation * Very important Important Not very important Not important at all No opinion	All wind farms are a visual intrusion to the Lincolnshire landscape, you cannot hide them. How they impact our perception of the view depends on how much importance we attach to their function.
b. The impact on areas of historic or scientific interest * Very important Important Not very important Not important at all No opinion	Every planning application needs to be assessed thoroughly to determine the impact of wind turbines on any location, including historic and SSSI.
c. The impact on the day-to-day lives of residents * Very important Important Not very important Not important at all No opinion	Technical solutions have been introduced to minimise impact on nearby residents, but the degree to which they effect an individual does appear to be related to a general acceptance of wind farm function. Where wind farm installations directly benefit the community the levels of acceptance within the community are much higher.
d. The impact on the county’s tourism economy Very important Important Not very important Not important at all No opinion	Apart from the anecdotal, is there any evidence that wind farms significantly affect visitor numbers? A recent DECC survey found that only 12% of those interviewed opposed the use of on shore wind. You can find the public attitudes tracking survey at; DECC tracker survey
5. The council’s guidelines should be taken into consideration by local planning authorities and developers when deciding where to locate new developments * Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree No opinion	There is no statutory requirement for the county council to have their view considered and that should remain the case. The council should commit resources to their existing statutory challenges and not seek out fresh ones.

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