Wind turbines just don't do the job

We have a duty to future generations to preserve the little fine countryside we have left. Landscape is a non-renewable resource. We should never degrade it without powerful incentives to do so.

The four turbines at Chelker produce between them, on average, enough electricity to boil 100 electric kettles.

Wind can never replace nuclear or any other power stations. Wind 'farms' always have to be shadowed by other generators ready to cut in at those times when there is no wind - otherwise there would be electricity cuts.

There are 853 wind turbines generating electricity in the UK and together they produce - unpredictably and unreliably - fewer than 800 million units of electricity a year, which is one quarter of once per cent of our demand.

Since demand has recently grown by 2.4 per cent a year, we would have to build thousands of turbines every year just to match increased consumption.

Probably, in the future, the vast bulk of our supply will some from modern gas-fired power stations which are very clean and have a large, reliable output. One of these power stations saves about 11 million tonnes of CO2 a year, while it has taken all our wind turbines ten years to save a million tonnes!

Since the industrial revolution, wind has been a quaint throwback, and wind turbines will never produce our energy needs any more than sailing clippers will replace bulk tankers. We have to stop being distracted by the medieval technology and address the real problem - profligate energy use.

By 2010 we could have reduced our consumption of energy by a third, or we can squander the resources it would need to achieve that by covering our best landscapes with turbines in order to generate a tiny percentage of an ever-growing demand for electricity.

So, let us hope that Craven's planning committee will not be bamboozled by green political correctness into extending the life of these turbines. There is now an opportunity to atone for an environmental crime committed ten years ago.

ROBER WOODWARD

Vice-chairman,

Country Guardian, Aubrey House,

Roverside,

Twickenham,

Middlesex TW1 3DS.

Ban not logical

SIR, - Panorama Wood is entirely surrounded by houses and gardens. Three deer pass through the wood each day, spending no more than two hours out of each 24 hours a day there. The other 22 hours they spend foraging in the adjacent gardens.

To save these deer from the possibility of contracting foot and mouth disease I may no longer go into the wood.

Yet these self-same deer can (and do) come into my garden. Meanwhile I may drive as often as I like along the roads at the top and the bottom of the wood.

I have struggled, but failed to understand the logic that underlies the closure of the wood. Can any of your readers help?

Owen Wells

23 Eaton Road,

Ilkley.

Hating dogs

SIR, - Why is it that so many Ilkley people hate dogs, or more particularly dog owners? So much space in your March 8 issue was devoted to complaints regarding dog excrement.

Do these people in these trying times of hardship have nothing else to worry about? I think it is a pity that they are unable to devote their energies to more serious matters - heaven knows there have been plenty of them around this winter.

I am a dog owner and a resident of Ilkley for almost 70 years. I do not walk my elderly labrador without carrying a poop scoop. My current dog is almost 12 years old and has never offended in a public place but could always be caught short.

I am also a non-car driver and a very active pedestrian and, contrary to your reports, do not wade knee deep in dog dirt wherever I go and certainly not by the riverside.

Just about all of those I meet on my dog walks carry plastic bags with them. There is certainly a need, though, for more doggy litter bins and more frequent emptying. I, too, feel annoyed if on the rare occasion I see someone encouraging their dogs to foul a pathway but I stress this is a rare occurrence. Horses, cats, sheep and large birds all have to answer their calls of nature and we all have to put up with that.

Why does everyone pick on the poor dog owners who take their dogs out for necessary exercise, not primarily to empty their bowels? Come on Ilkley folk, be reasonable. Pets are known to be good for the young and the old. Have a little tolerance. At present, the circumstances are exceptional and we have no choice of walking venues.

Yours, damn well annoyed.

Gillian Nicholson

44 Wheatley Avenue,

Ilkley.

No blame laid

SIR, -- Re: Willow Springs proposed development - missing letters objecting to the development: Following your recent report confirming that copy objection letters held by Ilkley Parish Council had been traced, I would wish to point out that at no time did any individual associated with the objection group try to apportion blame, either to any individual, or to the parish council itself.

Your report suggests otherwise and that there was undue criticism by objectors of the parish council. This was not the case. There was disappointment at the fact that this second file had gone missing in addition to the main file of objection letters held by the local planning department.

The file held by the parish council contained only a dozen copy objection letters, whereas the missing file from the planning department contained the full total of objection letters, some 41 in all plus a signed petition from those immediately affected by the proposed development. The planning department file is still missing.

The objectors' concern was that the Inspectorate considering the appeal would not have a complete view of the initial reaction and vehemence from them against the development, since many did not have the facility to copy correspondence, nor did they see the need to do so at that time.

The parish council throughout has been very helpful and considerate to the situation, listened carefully to what we have had to say and to the points raised. They have understood our plight and have applied local knowledge to local problems, with the end result that refusal of the development was recommended, as was the situation with the district council. Should any other resident wish to object they could either write to me or attend the appeal on Tuesday, March 20, at Ilkley Town Hall at 10.00am.

GERALD WOOLLIN

4 Gilstead Way

Ilkley, LS29 0AE.

Bike ride chance

SIR, - The Thames Bridges Bike Ride is one of the few events in the calendar which allow the participants to tour London, exercise and raise money for charity all in the same day.

And there are still a few places left to take part in this year's exciting event. The sixth annual Thames Bridges Bike Ride, which raises vital funds for The Stroke Association, will be held on Sunday, May 13. Last year more than 1,600 cyclists took part and between them raised more than £90,000 for the charity.

This year we hope to top the 2,000 mark for riders enrolled to take part in the ride, which crosses 16 of the capital's river bridges.

The Thames Bridge Bike Ride, which starts at Tower Bridge and ends opposite Hampton Court, is open to cyclists of all ages and abilities. Anyone who wishes to take part in the ride should call the 24-hour hotline on 020 7566 0311, e-mail (nationalevents@stroke.org.uk) or download the enrolment form at (www.stroke.org.uk).

Sue Knight

The Stroke Association,

London, EC1Y 8JJ.

Lights advice

SIR, - I write in response to Barbara Haigh's letter in last week's Gazette, regarding my being asked to advise Addingham Parish Council on their Christmas lights display.

Addingham Parish Council has not 'used ideas from other communities'. They asked me to help with specific guidance and advice regarding the siting and fixing of the Christmas lights.

I was asked to provide this help by the 'councillor associated with the electrical industry'. The final decisions on the display were taken by themselves.

This is not the first time I have been approached for advice and guidance. I have been contacted by various community and parish councils, groups and organisations, both locally and nationally, for help and advice on the whys and wherefores of establishing a village green; setting up and organising events such as a duck race, and various other matters (eg railings, mugs and, of course, not forgetting the Christmas lights display).

Surely, if I can provide help and advice to others in creating a better local environment, this should be seen as a positive benefit.

TOM SUMNER

30 Sandholme Drive,

Burley-in-Wharfedale.

Organic solution

SIR; I know nothing about the glorious olden days of John Bull and English beef.

But I know that after decades of massively subsidised scientifically and government-controlled factory farming we live with:

BSE

Salmonella

Foot and Mouth

E Coli

Spread of antibiotic resistance

Destruction of hedges, woodland, bird-life, other wild life

Pollution of water courses

Diseases in farmed salmon

Culling of badgers

Toxic blooms

Distress and cruelty to animals

I've not included problems from SM - but watch this space! Is it time perhaps to abandon industrial farming for an organic vegetarian/vegan diet - as practised by the non-polluting members of this planet.

Mr R K Collard

Flat 3,

11 Riddings Road,

Ilkley LS29 9LU.

Postcards plea

SIR, - I have been collecting picture postcards for the past ten months, particularly those with maps and lighthouses on but also general view cards. I do not have any from your area and I am hoping that some kind reader will send me one, for which I shall be most grateful.

Brian James

PO Box 1492,

Bournemouth,

Dorset BH7 6YB.