No to wind farm

Chris Emmett clearly understands all too well the motivation for the construction of wind turbines, such as the massive industrial masts proposed for this beauty spot above Nappa, near Hellifield, in the Upper Ribble Valley. Let's be clear here, this proposal has nothing to do with being green or combating global warming, it is simply an attempt by a German company to cream off huge subsidies by trading in Renewable Obligations Certificates (ROCs).

Germany has now reached the painful realisation that onshore wind farms are not the answer and has ceased their construction, so firms like EnergieKontor have now set their sights on mainland UK.

The result is that one of the best and most beautiful uninterrupted landscapes in the North could be ruined while the electricity consumer (you) will end up paying for this destruction in higher electricity bills, as the cost of purchasing the ROCs from the wind farm companies is passed on to the electricity customer.

Paul Jaquin erroneously compares the Brightenber Hill proposal to the Chelker turbines near Addingham. The Chelker masts are only 42.5 metres high, whereas the turbines threatening the skyline above Nappa are 100 metres high (each one taller than Big Ben) standing on a hill 200 metres high. What is proposed at Brightenber is on a truly massive scale out of all proportion to the landscape and the environment.

Paul Jaquin needs to be aware when he contemptuously refers to "Mr Emmett's rural idyll" that an increasingly large number of deeply concerned people are very angry that a beauty spot designated as a Special Landscape Area can even be considered for such a project. The only reason that wind farms are debated at all as a power source is because of their attraction to British politicians in the 1990s keen to present themselves as "green". Wind farms have progressively become the emperor's new clothes of renewable energy - expensive, subsidised scars on the landscape that the renewable industry still tries to persuade us are desirable, cost-effective and aesthetically beautiful.

As we all know now, on a national scale megawatt generation is to be nuclear and on a local level local power needs to be fuelled by localised waste as is happening in Europe. Wind farm developments fail on a national and local level with the unacceptable characteristics of high cost, serious ecological impact and damage to our landscape.

Mr C Yorke, Halton Place, Hellifield

No again ...

Sir - As a committed environmentalist, I am very much in favour of alternative, green energy, zero-carbon systems. I don't see all wind turbines as an eyesore; it depends on their location, relative size and environmental impact.

I have supported some turbine constructions and firmly opposed others; they are all different. I have even considered building my own small wind turbine, living as I do in a remote farmhouse. If I were serious about that, I would ensure all those living near me were informed and had no objection. I understand EnergieKontor have consulted the British Mountaineering Council, who, when they met at their AGM last December in Cononley, expressed their concern over the size of the proposed turbines. If EK consult local residents and representative local bodies with details of their plans, will they take their views into account?

Even though I don't live nearby, I am opposed to the wind farm at Brightenber Hill for these reasons: 1) Their immense size; at 330 feet, (100 metres) some of the biggest onshore wind turbines in the UK.

2) They could not be considered economically viable without the special government subsidy currently available and the additional value of the electricity they produce paid by way of Renewable Energy Option Certificates. This means the power they produce is paid for at up to three times the true value. Without this subsidy there would be no profit.

3) Scientific reasons suggest onshore turbines are not the best choice. Gusting, irregular wind speeds and turbulent air flow over obstacles such as hills, buildings and trees mean a turbine cannot operate with true efficiency for up to 70 per cent of the time and if the wind is either too strong or too weak it is shut down. Even the British Wind Energy Association advises that it is preferable to build wind farms offshore where the wind flow is regular and unobstructed.

Why do companies want to develop wind farms in sensitive and unique landscapes when there are far more suitable places? Is it because they are passionate about reducing CO2 emissions or has it more to do with money?

G P Smout B Ed, White House Farm, Cowling

Another No' ...

Sir - It seems increasingly inevitable that the Craven landscape will soon be blighted by five giant wind turbines on Brightenber Hill, right in the heart of some of the most picturesque countryside the Craven district has to offer. How can we even consider this?

The benefits will never outweigh the damage that these monsters will do to the beautiful environment on which they will be grafted.

Ultimately only the planning committee of Craven Council can stop this happening. I urge all members of the committee to set aside a few hours and take a walk around this area so that they can appreciate its outstanding natural beauty and fully understand the magnitude of the decision that they have to make.

They must listen to the voices of the local people who cannot believe that this area could even be considered for such a purpose.

Then, when the day comes, they must have the courage to stand up and say no to this proposal. The alternative is unthinkable.

Andrew Booth, The Farmhouse, Stainton Cotes, Coniston Cold

And again ...

Sir - Hands up anyone with more than an inkling of EnergieKontor's plan for a wind farm at Brightenber Hill, between Gargrave and West Marton. Hmm, not many.

To be honest, EnergieKontor hasn't kept it totally quiet; they've talked to Bank Newton, the Martons, Swinden and Nappa. And that's all. If you live near the A65 or A59 or, heaven forbid, in Lancashire, then you've been left out of the loop.

So, keep your eyes on the skyline - these massive turbines are coming soon to a beauty spot near you. The impact zone stretches from beyond Malham Cove in the north to Foulridge in the south; it extends from Bolton-by-Bowland in the west to Embsay in the east.

Want to know more? Try EnergieKontor's website at energiekontor.co.uk; click on "Projects" and there, nestled among the glossy brochures, is a 25-word paragraph about Brightenber Hill. I suppose it's better than nothing, but only just.

Friends of Craven Landscape think it's time to get this information into the open. We will soon call public meetings in village halls along the A65 and A59 corridors. Come along and listen; what you learn may surprise you.

You might disagree with us; we can't promise to please everyone, but we do promise straight talk and mature debate. There will be no name-calling and no finger-pointing; just hard facts.

If you want to know more, then email or write to Friends of Craven Landscape. It's time to learn what's going on.

Chris Emmett, Friends of Craven Landscape, PO Box 46, Skipton, BD23 9DA

Sea's better

Sir - Re Chris Emmett's letter "Big is not best" (Craven Herald, April 3).

Firstly, the 26 per cent efficiency quoted by Mr Emmett is an operating efficiency and reflects the "windiness" of the site, rather than the mechanical efficiency of the turbines. Big turbines obviously produce significantly more power than small ones.

However, the 26 per cent figure, if correct, shows that EnergieKontor's turbines would be more effective in the middle of the North Sea than the middle of Craven.

Secondly, Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) are not confined to wind farms. They can be claimed by any producer of clean electricity. If a solar panel on my roof generates one MWhr (1,000 kWhr units) of energy annually, I could claim an ROC whether I use the electricity or feed it into the grid.

Energy from renewable sources is more expensive than from coal fired power stations and ROCs are a way of redressing the cost imbalance to encourage clean renewable energy generation.

In Germany, residents feeding electricity from renewable sources into the grid are paid a "feed in" tariff above the supply tariff for power from the grid.

This is why, in 2007, 130,000 solar photovoltaic (PV) systems were installed in Germany compared to just 270 in the UK, where the feed-in tariff is a fraction of the supply price, and why we are the third-worst country in the EU for use of renewable energy.

I consider myself a friend of Craven's landscape, but if our present lifestyles are to be sustained, the landscape needs to be productive as well as pretty.

Local needs could be satisfied in less damaging ways than EnergieKontor's proposed wind farm, but this would need the support of the local community and leadership from district and county councils.

Without a plan for developing renewable energy locally, Craven and Yorkshire run the risk of becoming one large wind farm. If you wish to see what a small group is trying to achieve in Malhamdale, visit malhamdale.com and click on Carbon Watchers.

Sandy Tod, West Barn, Friars Garth, Malham

Meeting farce

Sir - On Monday April 7 I attended a planning meeting of Craven District Council. My interest was the HML project (which includes a new building for Craven District Council). I was by no means the only person present to be disturbed by the conduct of the meeting.

At the start, the chairman gave members 10 minutes to study newly delivered briefing papers. Later, at the beginning of the HML hearing, a planning officer rapidly read a précis of a submission by the Civic Society that I know had been handed in to the council offices the previous week. How on earth were members expected to take in, think about, never mind research, all this last-minute but important information? Can there be any excuse for this?

After preliminary addresses by objectors and a supporter of the HML project, Coun David Heather proposed, apparently with some impatience, the acceptance of the plan. He then left the room, thus missing most of the debate. Surely this required action, or at the very least some comment by the chairman.

To add to the farce, Coun Heather had earlier in the proceedings voted against a slim meteorological mast on a green-field site and then had voted for the very much larger HML project, also on a green-field site, visible to many more people. Double standards?

In the present financial climate, do HML/SBS really need a larger building? Likewise, do Craven council tax payers want an ever-enlarging council in a large plushy building, for which they will probably have to bear most of the cost? Even if we assume that these buildings are required, is there any need for either of them to be on a prestigious green-field site?

To digress now to other future plans for Skipton. Bentleys - a very good local firm - have already applied considerable pressure on CDC in order to get a site on the Gargrave Road for their new headquarters. Not unreasonably they do not see why they should not also join the gravy train. Who could then blame Skipton Properties if they also apply pressure to gain similar favours? After all, they, like SBS/HML and Bentleys, are big hitters'.

So far, projected developments for Skipton are the HML and CDC buildings, the new Bentley's headquarters and new housing at Granville Street, Horse Close, and Moorview Way/Otley Road. We already have the large Dewhurst's Mill development.

Wake up Skipton and object if you do not want to see this enlargement of your ancient market town, with commercial development on the Gargrave Road as well as the commercial area we already have on the Keighley Road.

Tom Gibson, High Barn, Stirton

Answers, please

Sir - Some time ago, Skipton Building Society pledged £10 million to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority for the provision of low-cost housing in the Dales, but it would appear that this scheme has not progressed with any great speed.

In August 2007 you identified that one of the reasons for this was that development sites in the Dales are in such short supply that, by tying itself to one partner, the authority realised it might be compromising its impartiality when dealing with competing proposals.

If this is correct, the authority's cautious approach might have enabled it to avoid the trap which Craven District Council seems to have fallen into with Skipton Building Society's Gargrave Road planning application, which has now been granted in full.

The application is described as a joint venture with the council, which raises the question of whether a partner in a joint venture can reach decisions concerning the success of that venture with complete impartiality.

In view of the fact the Local Plan seemed so heavily weighted against the success of the application, it must surely now be incumbent on the council to demonstrate the level of its impartiality in reaching its surprising decision by ensuring all material facts concerning it, and the implication of those facts, are placed in the public domain.

Judging from the confusion surrounding the matter, it is by no means certain that this has been done. For instance, what is wrong with the identified areas within the council's Development Limits that make them so unsuitable for this development, necessitating the spoliation of a green-field site? Further, if such areas are unsuitable for this development, are they suitable for any other development and, if not, why were they so designated in the first place?

And further, does the apparent unsuitability of sites within the Development Limits mean that medium scale development in Skipton is no longer possible? And finally, have any other local businesses complained of the unsuitability of sites within the Development Limits and sought to be granted the same sort of favoured treatment as to price and planning afforded to the building society and, if so, with what result?

The public are entitled to answers to these questions, not only to enable them to consider the level of impartiality involved, but also to be aware of the implications to the town's economy of the apparent lack of development sites.

Of equal importance, however, are answers needed to enable the public to judge how safe the Local Plan is in the hands of the present council.

John Weatherill, Heronwood, Flasby

No choices

Sir - And so we are to have a four-storey, modern-design office block and matching council offices with lovely country views, set up on a hill in a field on the outskirts of Skipton, in what is currently a residential and educational area of The Gateway to the Dales'.

A colony of bats in a nearby stone building is meant to survive the construction work and the nearest main route roundabout, already at full capacity, together with already dangerous grid-locked Gargrave Road (not to mention our kids), are meant to cope with the increased traffic.

The residents of Skipton might like to know that the contemporary design of this new type of 21st century white-collar mill' was approved for them at a council meeting, in a recorded vote with a majority of one, by councillors who live outside the town, despite heroic and forthright opposition.

Craven residents might like to ask themselves why their council has chosen to support a home loan company at a time of falling house prices, rather than some other countryside-based use at a time of rising food prices.

Skipton residents may wonder why no-one asked them what they would have liked done with this field. They might have liked a new school there, or affordable housing, or a permanent site for the farmers' market or a park-and-ride or more allotments or local market gardening or a rare breeds farm visitor attraction or just a beautiful meadow and field of sheep or highland cattle (aren't they gorgeous?) or anything, in fact, that aligns Skipton's future with the rural economy and the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The nimby' callers fail to realise that this issue is about the future identity of Skipton. You can't sell the Dales dream with ugly modern office blocks.

We are about to lose our rural heritage in a field chomping gobble-up' that is the urbanising character of expanding big business and this is going to happen because a handful of officers and a few councillors say it's OK and the Secretary of State couldn't be asked'. So much for democracy.

Mrs A Griffin, Coach House Cottage, Bog Lane, Stirton

Hospital dismay

Sir - Like many others I am dismayed not only at the closure of Castleberg Hospital, but by the way it is being handled by the Primary Care Trust (PCT).

It is essential as many local people as possible write to the PCT to get some clear statements of intent and to keep badgering until we are satisfied with their answers. Write also to MP David Curry.

The current NHS reforms are often trumpeted as being designed to make the service more "patient-centred" and more transparent. Our PCT is certainly not living up to that in this instance.

In addition, the replacement of Community Health Councils with something called Local Involvement Networks (LiNKs) - whose function and powers are unclear - means that local people have less say than ever in the running of their health services. So much for patient-centred.

There are other causes for concern. The Herald has also reported that "New extended-hours GP-led health services will be up and running in every area of Yorkshire and the Humber in 2009" because "local people have been telling us, loud and clear, that they want health care that is more convenient for them and their familiesYou should be able to access health care when you want - not having to fit your life around when the doctor's surgery is open."

Not only would this put impossible burdens on GPs and their teams, but, other than an emergency, who wants to go and visit their doctor at all hours? We need to know the origin of this perceived need for extended hours.

The Department of Health recently "consulted" on this topic and found 85 per cent of people asked were perfectly happy with existing hours. Probably, there is yet another hidden agenda.

It is very likely private companies will be bidding for such services. In some areas some have already been appointed. Not only are these less accountable than NHS services, but they are subject to less scrutiny of standards and ultimately will cost the health service more.

Already we have money diverted away from front-line care. DoH public consultations cost nearly £10 million in 2006-7 and will top this figure during the current year, NHS trusts are to be allowed to advertise and, in their "commissioning" of primary care services, PCTs are permitted to pay consultants to help them. Fourteen firms are registered to give this guidance, several of which are those that may also bid for provision of the services: conflict of interest number one.

Number two is that the man who advised the Government on new contracts for primary care is the boss of a company which can bid for provision of primary care and which already provides out-of-hours services in one area.

A third is that the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Primary Care and Public Health (like a select committee) uses for its secretariat the Proprietory Association of Great Britain, whose priority is to represent companies who make and sell over-the-counter medicines. Hardly a true public health interest.

Some will perhaps see nothing wrong with all this, but my contentions are that all of this should be out in the open so everyone knows what is happening to the NHS and public money earmarked for health should be spent on just that, for the benefit of us all and not for increased profits for the few.

Lindy Williams, Prospect House, Long Preston

Doctors thanked

Sir - I would like to record my sincere thanks to the Settle doctors, past and present, for their robust defence on Monday night for the need to retain the services provided at Castleberg Hospital and Harden Ward in particular.

Closure would be a repeat of our loss of those fine medical institutions, the military hospitals, but there is a slight difference, though the end result will be identical.

Twenty years ago I spent over two years closely involved with one of these hospitals and even then the "suits and clipboards" appeared and a dialogue occurred with the consultants, doctors, nurses, patients and visitors. Notes were taken, concerns were heard, but no-one listened and these centres of medical excellence were closed.

Monday night was a re-run, but here is the difference: there has been no courtesy of prior consultation. It was obvious from the very start of the meeting that "our minds are made up, do not confuse us with facts". Care in the Community works well on paper and so, no doubt, does Hospital at Home but, in reality, the first is a disaster and the second is waiting in the wings to follow suit.

I hope that "Team PCT" went away from the meeting having actually LISTENED to the very real concerns of everyone at the meeting and will LISTEN intently to those who really know what they are talking about - and those are our doctors.

The tail of this particular tiger has been tweaked, twist it at your ;peril.

Rosemary Crabtree, Fairways, Hesley Lane, Rathmell

Ward worries

Sir - We wish to object to the idea of even "thinking" about closing Harden Ward, Castleberg Hospital, Giggleswick. We think it would be a far better idea to consider enlarging its intake.

Stays have been shortened and manipulated to not show the true story of Harden Ward demand. Patients don't want to leave the security of Harden Ward and go home to be alone. Castleberg is run like a caring family and the nurses and doctors have a lovely rapport with the patients and knowledge of their backgrounds.

To close downstairs and leave the upper floor working seems stupid anyhow and especially when it is supposed to be a roof repair. Repairs have always been worked round before and a roof should be no exception or excuse. Employment for the staff in the area is limited and loyalty too.

To talk about "home care" is a ridiculous idea - especially in rural areas. Carers can't travel on country roads, ungritted or icy. Twenty-four hour care as provided by Harden Ward is far superior and more reassuring to both patients and family.

It is worrying what will happen to us, should we become ill. Airedale is a 30-to-40-minute drive from this area and nearest in an emergency.

The services there are getting diabolical, with people transferred to Leeds or Bradford - a nightmare to drive to for older, country-bred people.

Terminal illness too is stressful. The hassle-free trip to visit loved ones in Harden Ward has to be experienced to realise how great it is to be able to visit regularly and quickly and know our loved ones are getting expert attention and care.

So please take notice of us - who are workers and tax-payers - for once and help keep Harden Ward open.

Neil and Enid Caton, Stainforth, Settle

Fred's not Eric

Sir - While still struggling to digest the obscenely grotesque amount of my most recent council tax bill, I note that Craven District Council has now pledged £15,000 towards an unwanted-by-the-mass-of-townsfolk statue in Skipton High Street.

I have nothing against Fred Trueman the cricketer. Indeed, I was a very passionate fan of his until he deserted his native Yorkshire in order to play for another county.

However, the suggestion that a Fred Trueman statue would be a popular tourist attraction in similar vein to that of Eric Morecambe can reasonably be described as unadulterated verbiage.

Eric Morecambe was a family entertainer and a star of stage and screen who generated smiles and laughter for millions.

By stark contrast, Fred Trueman was an embarrassing failure when given his chance as a stage comedian. He was, though, a very fine cricketer, albeit not quite so fine as an even longer-time Craven resident - inclusive of him living in Skipton itself - Herbert Sutcliffe, who still figures as top of England's all-time test batting averages, compared to Trueman figuring ninth among the bowlers.

You only need to note how very little the ordinary members of the public at large have contributed towards the £80,000 target in order to summarise the unanimous contempt of the proposal.

Then contrast that, for example, with the overwhelming public response to the Brian Bevan statue outside Warrington Rugby League Club's Wilderspool Stadium.

No corporate or council sponsorship was required. The ordinary members of the public and rugby league fans coughed up every single penny, and the same applies for statues of other sporting stars which have been erected in the areas associated with their fans.

If a Trueman statue does go up, then let it be situated likewise, without Craven District and Skipton Town Council funding, at Headingley or Scarborough. I might then contribute myself.

Roger Ingham, Aldersley Avenue, Skipton

Waste of money

Sir - I am utterly appalled and astonished to hear that Craven District Council has even considered, let alone approved of, spending £15,000 on a statue of a mere sportsman when there are so many real and urgent causes to spend my money (and thousands of other Craven people's) on.

Who was this Trueman fellow, anyway? What relevance has a mere sport - chucking a ball about for fun - got to do with real life and its desperate problems?

We need a council of realists, not sport-crazy individuals whose personal obsessions are with something so incredibly trivial as sport.

Sport! All right for fun and a bit of tame amusement for those who are prepared to pay for it, but not this vast sum (oh yes! It is a vast sum) when there are such enormous economic problems besetting all of society.

Arthur Butterworth, Dales Avenue, Embsay

Streets of tat

Sir - I would like to comment on the application by Costa Coffee to open a shop in Sheep Street.

I'm amazed at the comments from planning officer Mark Moore that the town centre was "thriving". Yes, most of the shops are occupied, but if by thriving he means having a dozen charity shops then his idea of a thriving town is totally different to mine.

These charity shops pay little or no rates, get their stock for nothing and pay no wages as they are mostly staffed by volunteers.

It's no wonder that businesses in Skipton are going under, because there is not a level playing field. How can anyone trying to start up a small business hope to compete?

Skipton is in serious danger of becoming the "second-hand tat" capital of Yorkshire. I personally would like to see more independent shops run by local traders who, at least, are prepared to invest in Skipton's future.

As far as The Costa Coffee shop is concerned, I have no problem with them opening, although I probably wouldn't be a regular customer.

Apart from the market stalls, Skipton High Street is becoming nothing more than banks, building societies and second-hand recycling outlets.

Please let's try and bring back some character and individuality to our shops.

Richard Lee, Westmoreland Street, Skipton

Keep out, Costa

Sir - May I enquire as to who the heck Messrs Costa Coffee think they are?

It is quite a simple matter; our council, in their wisdom have decreed no more units, in a certain area as defined, are to be converted from retail to other uses. This has been done for a very good reason.

Messrs Costa believe, because they have financial clout, that they can fight this and have it overturned for their benefit. They knew the situation before even finding property in Skipton and clearly think they are bigger and better than anyone else.

The answer is quite simple: CDC should stick to their guns and send these guys a hefty bill for what it has cost us, ratepayers, to get this far in a farcical situation.

Bob Wright, The Wright Wine Company Ltd, The Old Smithy, Raikes Road, Skipton

Carers' resource

Sir - The Carers' Resource has been mentioned several times recently on your letters page and I thought it might be helpful to outline the many social occasions we run for carers.

These "drop-ins" provide opportunities for carers to meet others for a chat and a coffee and to access the help of the Carers' Resource staff for information, support and advice.

We meet at the pavilion in Sutton Park every third Wednesday in the summer months - March to September - and in winter retire to our other wonderful venue, the Black Bull at Sutton, where we meet from 1.30pm to 3pm.

We hold a drop-in at Bentham for our North Craven carers in the Nose Bag on the second Thursday of the month from 10.30am to noon.

We also have two new drop-ins. On the second Tuesdays of the month we are meeting at Utopia in the grounds of the Broughton Hall Estate from 10am to 11.30am.

Starting on April 17, and on the following third Thursdays of the month, we will be holding a drop-in from 10am to 11.30am at the Refectory Restaurant in the Vestry rooms at Holy Trinity Parish Church in Skipton.

For further information, please call the Carers' Resource on 01756 700888.

Anne Brennand, Carers Link team at the Carers' Resource, The Wheel House, Broughton Hall Business Park, Skipton

Take bags home

Sir - I have been the proud owner of my dog for just over a year now and take her for walks, mainly on the canal in Skipton.

The other day I went towards Bradley and was amazed at all the trees adorned with "pooh bags".

I know there aren't any bins along this part of the canal but surely they can be carried. They aren't heavy, so please take them with you.

Judith Long, Keighley Road, Skipton