Kirkharle: Frequently Asked Questions

Are wind turbines noisy?
Modern turbines are quiet in operation and you can hold a conversation underneath one without raising your voice. The final design of the wind farm will ensure that strict guidelines relating to noise are complied with.

Do wind turbines harm birds?
npower renewables conducts detailed studies prior to any project being submitted for planning. These studies help demonstrate potential impacts on a whole range of subjects including birds, and, if any impacts are discovered, how to mitigate for them. Studies undertaken at specific sites during their operation have shown that well-sited wind farms pose very little risk to birds.

Will local traffic be disturbed?
Any disturbance will be limited to the construction period, which should last around 12 months, after which only a small number of movements will be made to the site. Should the proposal be approved, npower renewables will work with the local highways authority to develop a suitable plan to ensure any disruption is kept to a minimum.

Does it take more energy to make a wind turbine than it generates?
No, once operational, the average wind farm in the UK will pay back the energy used in its manufacture within six to nine months.

Will house prices fall?
Whether wind farms affect house prices or not is still a topic of much debate. A small number of studies have been conducted to try and answer this question, and the results have varied greatly from no effect at all to a slight negative effect. However, the overriding theme has been that as house prices are affected by so many factors it is currently not possible to categorically conclude this debate and say with certainty if wind farms affect house prices.

Tourism
Sometimes when a renewable energy project is proposed, concerns are raised as to the impact such a scheme could have on tourism. Much research and evidence now points to this concern not being realised when a wind farm is built. Evidence from across the UK shows people are in favour of renewable energy and that green power projects would not put the majority of people off visiting an area.

What else will need to be constructed other than the wind turbines?
Access tracks are required to link up the new site entrance, wind turbines, anemometry mast and substation. The layout of the tracks will be designed, as far as possible, to follow the route of the existing tracks on site. Proposed new sections of track will be kept to a minimum. The substation would only need to be a relatively small, single storey building. Anemometry masts are slim line lattice towers that are the same height as the hubs of the turbines (around 80m tall). A mast is required to monitor the performance of the wind turbines. The wind farm will connect into the local electricity distribution network by underground cables, so there will be no additional visible infrastructure for the grid connection other than the substation.

What happens to the land surrounding the turbines?
While wind turbines are in situ, the land around the turbines and tracks are within the control of the landowner. At the vast majority of wind farm sites in the UK, landowners decide to carry on using the land in the same way as before the wind farm was built.

How long will the turbines be there for and what will the site look like once they've gone?
We will be applying for planning permission for the turbines to operate on the site for 25 years. After this time we would have to remove the turbines from the site. We would remove a top layer from each of the concrete foundations to ensure that normal farming practices can take place on the land where the turbines were previously sited. Any new access track that has been laid solely for the purposes of the wind farm would be removed. The substation and anemometry mast would also be removed, in accordance with the requirements of the planning permission.

Will TV reception be affected?
Wind turbines do have the potential to affect television reception to those homes using the traditional analogue system (that is now being phased out), and to a much lesser extent, digital TV reception. We will be obliged however to remedy any adverse effect on TV reception that is caused by the wind farm. This is a requirement that would usually form part of a planning condition attached to a planning permission. There are various technical ways of remedying disruption to TV reception, and any work would be carried out at no cost to those affected. It is worth noting that those with digital, cable or satellite receivers are unlikely to have any problems with their reception.

What about the potential impact of all the local wind farm proposals?
In deciding whether or not to grant planning permission for npower renewables' Kirkharle Wind Farm, Tynedale Council will consider whether the proposal complies with a range of development plan policies. One such policy, Policy ENV2 of the Core Regional Spatial Strategy, specifically deals with renewable energy developments. In this policy, guidance is given which explains that commercial renewable energy schemes will only be permitted provided that there is no significant adverse impact. It is therefore unlikely that all local wind farms will be given consent. It may be that only one, or a small number of the proposed wind farm schemes, will be found acceptable in environmental and planning policy terms and ultimately granted planning permission. Three other wind farm proposals, close to Kirkharle, are currently the subject of a joint public inquiry.