Sir, – The South Downs Society would wish to add the weight of more than 2,000 members to the considerable body of opposition to the threatened desecration of the Downs near East Meon by two massive wind turbines.
As an environmental organisation we fully recognise the need to act decisively in promoting renewable energy as well as managing our consumption. We have taken steps within the society to reduce our environmental impact and we have supported schemes to generate energy from green sources, including wind. But we do firmly believe in finding the right solutions in the right places, based on a careful assessment of an area's capacity to accommodate different kinds of energy generation.
Accepting industrial scale turbines in one of our most treasured landscapes simply because we feel we have to be seen to be doing something makes no sense. The output from one or two turbines, unrelated to any local need or circumstance, will not make a significant contribution to mitigating climate change, but they would have a major negative impact on how people value and enjoy their local environment.
Let us develop proper strategies for renewables at national, regional and local level, informed by an evaluation of landscape, wildlife, access and other environmental concerns so we can have a sensible review of energy generation without discarding all the other environmental considerations we have so long cherished.
Steve Ankers, planning officer, South Downs Society, Swan Court, Station Road, Pulborough