Up for discussion today: wind turbines, the new bridge over the Forth, the Loch of the Lowes blog, and alternative energy sources.
Consider quiet zone around wind turbines
Sir,-I read with interest your article (March 26) ‘Campaigners beef up the noise claims’.
Firstly, I must congratulate you for its very creative and humorous headline.
On a more serious note, Clatto Landscape Protection Group seem to be raising a very important and worrying issue for those who will be living in close proximity to the seven 121-metre wind turbines that West Coast Energy plan to erect on Clatto Hill.
Fife Council could “agree the appropriate conditions in order to protect the residential amenity” from turbine noise. But then CLPG could be correct in doubting that planning conditions to control noise would be enforceable.
Where does this leave the residents of 30 homes that are within 1.5 kilometres of the turbines?
The sensible thing to do would be to stop theorising and draw on others’ practical experience and solutions.
Carmarthenshire Council, with support from all political parties, has agreed to extend the buffer zone around any wind turbines from 500 metres to 1500 metres. The above appears to me to be a result of common sense prevailing.
If a council in Wales can see the rationale for adopting such a policy, I would hope that our council in Fife would also see a reason to follow, to ensure that local residents are not blighted by noise from nearby windfarms, by enforcing a 1500-metre buffer zone Stavros Michaelides.
Wester Waltonhill,Chance Inn,Cupar.
Bridge cash could boost economy
Sir,-You reported that First Minister Alex Salmond described the proposed new road crossing of the Forth as “Scotland’s bridge of recovery”.
But there are many, many ways in which £1.6 billion of public monies could otherwise be spent.
Even if one accepts this “saving” of £700 million on the previous estimate, this is still a figure which, according to Shelter Scotland, would allow the construction 54,261 new homes.
Given that Audit Scotland have recently reported that £2.25 billion is required to repair Scotland’s trunk and local roads, this new estimate of the cost of the bridge would allow 71% of all such roads to be brought up to an acceptable standard.
Moreover, such expenditure would provide employment and income to benefit communities across the length and breadth of Scotland. If Mr Salmond wishes to spend for recovery, an honourable aim, then he’s backed the wrong horse.
Lawrence Marshall.Chairman,ForthRight Alliance,5 Rose Street,Edinburgh.
SWT correct to close blog
Sir,-I wholly support Mr William Robertson (March 30) regarding the closure of the Loch of the Lowes blog by the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
I had the unfortunate experience of viewing the book produced by these bloggers before it was removed from the shelves of the Loch of the Lowes. To say it was excruciating would be an understatement.
The blog was a useful tool for housebound people, like myself, to view wildlife and learn about it. However, because of these bloggers, I have lost this connection.
These bloggers should be ashamed of what they have done and, rather than persecute the SWT, they should be apologising for the extra workload they caused.
I fully agree with SWT’s decision to close the blog and stop the nonsense that was littering it.
(Mrs) A. Allan.231 Morningside Road,Edinburgh.
Lady was victim of own success
Sir,-In response to Mr Robertson (March 30) who claimed the Loch of Lowes osprey blog was hijacked by excruciating poetry, while he is entitled to his opinion, I would like to reply as one of the bloggers who has contributed in the past.
My talents do not lie as a poet and I have never posted a poem but there have been some magnificent words written on the blog and I find it degrading for anyone to say it is excruciating. In fact, the book that was written up by the bloggers, containing lots of these poems, has raised a large amount of money for the Loch of the Lowes.
Mr Robertson did not have to read the blog but there were plenty of opportunities for him to catch up on purely factual information from the updates from the staff at Loch of Lowes.
It is because of Lady and her success that the blog was perhaps a victim of its own success.
Jan Purcifer.40 Firbank Grove,East Calder.
New hope for alternative energy
Sir,-Your recent letters about alternative energy have highlighted the two principal opposing views but there is so much more to the “alternative energy” field than mainstream science accepts.
The public view of it is either wind, tidal or solar energy but given that these are predominantly weather dependent, it’s clear that they are not viable. Tidal is the only constant of the three.
So what’s the alternative? Well, there is cold fusion and zero-point energy (or over unity as it’s sometimes referred).
Despite the fuss about cold fusion a few years ago, it is gaining ground in mainstream scientific circles but needs further research.
If only some of the billions of euros poured into the Large Hadron Collider were diverted into energy research instead, we would be in a better position.
However, the blocks are established-big oil and mainstream scientific dogma. Virtually all research is carried out by publicly funded bodies, none of whom will go out on a limb and risk upsetting conventional views of science.
However, some do it secretly, despite publicly deriding it as pseudo science.
Perhaps Albert Einstein was right when he said, “We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive.”
Gordon Mathieson.White House,Farnell.
Get involved: to have your say on these or any other topics, email your letter to letters@thecourier.co.uk or send to Letters Editor, The Courier, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL.