Economic Impact

The wind turbine proposals if approved will have a profound effect on the economic balance of the parties involved. Although developers may sometimes offer contributions to a community fund to compensate the community, these contributions are usually insignificant when compared with the damage to the local community and the profits generated for the land developer.

More information will be added to this page during the coming weeks.

The financial winners

These will be the land developer and the land owner.

A recent article in the Sunday Times provides an indication of the profit accruing to a wind turbine power station developer.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3257728.ece

An article in the Farmer’s Guardian gives an indication of the profit accruing to a land owner paid from the land developer’s profits.

http://www.farmersguardian.com/story.asp?sectioncode=38&storycode=10141

The financial losers

These will be local residents and local businesses.

A court case some years ago indicates that houses close to the site of an industrial wind turbine power station can lose 20% of their value.

http://www.knolltowindfarm.org.uk/economic.htm

More than 40,000 visitors come to Bickerton Hill and Cholmondeley Park every year. Several surveys have been carried out to establish the likely impact of an industrial wind power station and the results vary. One survey carried out in the Isle of Wight indicated a 15% reduction in tourist numbers with an associated decrease in revenue for pubs, restaurants, hotels, B&Bs and other tourist related businesses.

http://www.thwart.info/tourism.asp