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Wind turbine blow for Bronte Society (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
Get involved: send your pictures, video, news and views by texting TANEWS to 80360, or email
Heritage group says new towers will ‘loom monstrously’ over the Bronte literary landscape near Haworth
7:00am Wednesday 14th November 2012 in News
By Chris Young, T&A Reporter
Emily Bronte would be “disappointed” at a decision to allow construction of nine 115 metre high wind turbines overlooking her home village, according to the Bronte Society.
Yesterday Calderdale Council voted in favour of the nine turbines, to replace 23 49-metre high turbines at Ovenden Moor Windfarm.
Objectors, including members of the Haworth-based Bronte Society, descended on Halifax Town Hall to voice their anger at the application.
Yorkshire Wind Power had made the application for their already existing wind farm in Wainstalls.
Sally McDonald, chairman of the Haworth-based Bronte Society, addressing the meeting, said: “It is a unique landscape and these structures are wholly inappropriate. They will loom monstrously over the village.
“The argument that there are already turbines on the skyline is tantamount to saying ‘there is already litter on the street, so this will minimise any new litter.’”
She said the committee had a duty to protect the area’s heritage, adding: “Once gone, it is gone forever.
“What would Emily Bronte have thought? I think she would be disappointed with this, and that is an understatement. It is hard to try and calculate the disappointment for visitors coming from around the world if this goes ahead.”
However, local councillor Barry Collins spoke in favour of the application, saying among locals there was “No overwhelming opposition. People are trying to take a balanced view.”
He added: “This council has committed itself to challenging targets for green energy. To meet those targets we need proposals like this. It is preferable to have larger, effective farms than a landscape dotted with individual turbines.”
Committee member Coun David Hardy said: “We have got to move away from fossil fuels. This is much-needed in Calderdale.”
The committee then voted in favour of the application, although it will have to go before the Secretary of State before it is fully approved.
Comments(11)
webess
says...
9:02am Wed 14 Nov 12
I'm sure she'd be delighted to live in modern Haworth, wind turbines included
angry bradfordian
says...
9:16am Wed 14 Nov 12
webess wrote:It would be interesting to know what people in the early 19th century thought about windmills being built throughout the land.
Emily Bronte lived in an age when life was both harsh and short. Haworth had one of the countries highest mortality rates - she herself died aged only 30.
I'm sure she'd be delighted to live in modern Haworth, wind turbines included
These are now seen as part of our history and no doubt these historic groups would be up in arms if somebody tried demolishing one now. There are even some famous John Constable paintings of nothing but windmills!
Al Spade
says...
10:31am Wed 14 Nov 12
For the record, I am not a lover of wind farms. I think they are inefficient and expensive.
Albion.
says...
11:34am Wed 14 Nov 12
angry bradfordian wrote:What would Branwell have thought?.......hic..
“What would Emily Bronte have thought? I think she would be disappointed with this"
Really? I know these people need to make it an emotive subject, but how could anybody even guess what she'd think about something that was going to happen 200 years later?
"It is hard to try and calculate the disappointment for visitors coming from around the world if this goes ahead.”
No it's not- it'll be more or less zero. They're more likely to be 'disappointed' by the expensive parking and the lack of things to look at.
That is of course unless they are going there to see Wuthering Heights- a place where they won't be able to see the turbines anyway!
..berk!...f*** em....
angry bradfordian
says...
12:22pm Wed 14 Nov 12
Albion. wrote:Yes, I really don't see why speculating about what the Brontes would have thought really matters. In their time, they'd have looked across at Keighley and seen a sooty sky punctuated by chimneys- would the Bronte society want this as a view recreating because it's what the Bronte's would have seen?
angry bradfordian wrote:What would Branwell have thought?.......hic..
“What would Emily Bronte have thought? I think she would be disappointed with this"
Really? I know these people need to make it an emotive subject, but how could anybody even guess what she'd think about something that was going to happen 200 years later?
"It is hard to try and calculate the disappointment for visitors coming from around the world if this goes ahead.”
No it's not- it'll be more or less zero. They're more likely to be 'disappointed' by the expensive parking and the lack of things to look at.
That is of course unless they are going there to see Wuthering Heights- a place where they won't be able to see the turbines anyway!
..berk!...f*** em....
What about what other notable Bradfordians would think? Perhaps Titus Salt would love the engineering involved?
webess
says...
12:58pm Wed 14 Nov 12
No doubt Emily Bronte would prefer electricity to be produced by AGR nuclear reactors. But I'd be interested in her other views, eg what does Emily think Phil Parkinson should play a 4-4-2 formation against Arsenal?
bullybullman
says...
2:04pm Wed 14 Nov 12
Red Grouse
says...
6:27pm Wed 14 Nov 12
webess wrote:Well, I guess she would feel right at home with the escalating rate of fuel poverty, caused in part by excessive renewables subsidies, and the shocking levels of excess winter deaths which are linked to fuel poverty.
Emily Bronte lived in an age when life was both harsh and short. Haworth had one of the countries highest mortality rates - she herself died aged only 30.
I'm sure she'd be delighted to live in modern Haworth, wind turbines included
lazybeat
says...
9:52pm Wed 14 Nov 12
AtillaTheNun
says...
11:27pm Wed 14 Nov 12
angry bradfordian says...
7:36am Wed 14 Nov 12
Really? I know these people need to make it an emotive subject, but how could anybody even guess what she'd think about something that was going to happen 200 years later?
"It is hard to try and calculate the disappointment for visitors coming from around the world if this goes ahead.”
No it's not- it'll be more or less zero. They're more likely to be 'disappointed' by the expensive parking and the lack of things to look at.
That is of course unless they are going there to see Wuthering Heights- a place where they won't be able to see the turbines anyway!