Thursday, June 7, 2012

TIME TO SPEAK UP

EVENT ON FLAMBOROUGH HEAD?

So I have decided to speak up about the proposed wind turbine on Flamborough Head in East Yorkshire, UK.  This post will probably be of more interest to British,  especially Yorkshire bloggers.  Flamborough has meant so much to me all my life. Since it is such a unique area, I feel I must resist changes that will spoil its beauty.  Changes come but they must be enacted with care and concern not only for the environment but also for the people who would be affected by the changes.

Here is the text of my letter to the East Riding of Yorkshire Council:

Dear Sirs,
I am quite disturbed to discover that there is some consideration of placing a wind turbine on Flamborough Head.

I am proud to be British though living abroad, and even more proud to be able to state that I lived on Flamborough Head for about ten years.  I have returned many times and would still be living there today if I had any choice about the matter.

I do realize the need we have for such sources of power in our power hungry world, yet I must protest that there has to be more appropriate places to erect such a turbine.  Quite apart from the visual impact it would have, as many have pointed out, there are other considerations.

I believe the South Landing area is what is being considered and I would like to add to the debate by suggesting how inappropriate this  mechanical feature would be in the pristine area of our coastline.
There are several areas of woodland within close proximity to the South Landing including the historic Danes Dyke. Not far away from this particular area, puffins breed. Throughout the woodland areas songbirds such as the willow warbler and chiff chaff, goldfinches and many other unique European birds frequent and nest in these woodland areas.  This is not to exclude the skylark which nests in the fields on the cliff top.  People come from miles around and from Europe itself to see and study these woodland, field and meadow song birds.  Flamborough Head is a migratory resting area and as such brings many birds which may not easily be seen elsewhere.  Of course the magnificent sea bird nesting areas at Bempton and Speeton as well as Flamborough have to be a major consideration.  Sadly wind turbines are disturbing and encroaching upon their natural environment.

I am not a rampant environmentalist but I do believe man and nature have to live in harmony with one another. Since man is the one with the technological skills and needs, hopefully he will have the wisdom to protect the beauty with which he is entrusted.

One other consideration is the historical value of this unique headland.  Perhaps some are not familiar with the fact that R. D. Blackmore of “Lorna Doone” fame spent much time in Flamborough and recorded its uniqueness for posterity in his less well known book, “Mary Anerley”.  This book describes in detail the landscape, customs and people of Flamborough Head and is a wonderful source of information of an era that is far too rapidly disappearing.  I am very familiar with Blackmore’s book because I set myself the task of updating, and where necessary, rewriting it under the title of “The Tale of Robin Lyth”.  (It can be found in the libraries of Bridlington and Flamborough.) Not that I could compete with Blackmore’s skill but I was motivated by the desire to preserve the historic richness of this beloved area and the skill and desire to read Victorian English is also passing away.

Finally, there is the obvious aesthetic value to be taken into consideration.  Not only is there the need to preserve the natural and historic ambiance of Flamborough Head, but it should be remembered that artists of all skill levels are drawn to the area because of its natural beauty and unique landscapes.  Again, this is an aspect with which I am quite familiar having created a score of paintings from around the headland.

In conclusion, I do ask that you, who are the safe-keepers of our beautiful East Riding, will carefully consider all the ramifications of any decisions you will be making in the near future.

I will be following the events of the next months with great interest.

Yours sincerely, 

Christine A. Jones.

If you are from Yorkshire and agree with my viewpoint, let me urge you to contact the ERYC :

beverley dot dc at eastriding  dot gov dot uk

Flamborough Head looking northward from North Landing


That's it -- all done.  Back to normal blogging shortly.
  

8 comments:

MorningAJ said...

Well said.

Jane and Chris said...

Wind turbines, solar farms ,fracking.....and all on prime land. I just can't fathom it.
Jane x

Doohie said...

It would be lunacy to put a wind turbine in a prime tourist spot, especially when tourism is so important to the economy of the area.I can't understand how anyone would even consider put a wind turbine in such a beautiful place. I hope it doesn't happen. Well done for sending your protest.

Annie Jeffries said...

One doesn't need to be from Yorkshire to have empathy. We have huge solar farms in our area and they are mostly not working. Coming from a housing dense region, the only good thing I can day about them is where there are wind farms, there are no houses being built.

kaybee said...

I can't even imagine someone thinking of marring the beautiful headland like that - it's craziness! Well done for taking this on, Chris.

Black Jack's Carol said...

What a heartfelt and well-written letter! I particularly liked the paragraph beginning: "I am not a rampant environmentalist..." Although I wouldn't copy your letter, I will come back to it for inspiration as we face serious concerns here (British Columbia) as well. I so agree with the spirit of your words, and admire the clarity and thoroughness of the points you made.

snafu said...

Interesting letter and I agree with you too. Wind power is the buzzword of the present government here in the UK and whilst there are many other means of generating power this rather intrusive method seems to be pushed more than any other. Both tide and wave power are equally 'green' but they are not being developed as much as wind power, something less than reliable since a calm or a gale both interrupt power generated this way.
However, seeing your picture of the lighthouse, a rogue thought flashed through my mind which made me wonder if the locals had objected to the building of the lighthouse. In their day it must have seemed even more intrusive since it was lighting up their nights, but now we see it as a picturesque part of the local scenery.

ChrisJ said...

SNAFU: I don't think the locals cared much about the aesthetics of it. They were much too concerned about keeping body and soul together. They were very poor even in the early 1900's. They were just glad to see their men come home safely.
Where have you been? Missed you.