Skye Edge was mentioned on the front page of the Star this week as a possible location for a windfarm.It is certainly a very windy location, and I think the turbines would be a spectacular sign that Sheffield is becoming a green city. I certainly wont be taking the NIMBY view on this one- we need alternative renewable sources of energy and wind energy makes a great deal of sense for Sheffield. The arguments NIMBY protestors use against windfarms, such as noise and bird kill have no justification. Having said that, I am not giving the developers free reign to build all over Skye Edge! This is the best viewpoint of the city of Sheffield and it is a vital piece of open land for recreation. I hope a windfarm can be developed that will still allow access to the open space and viewpoints. And this land belongs to the people of Sheffield- I hope the people of Sheffield will profit from the use of the windfarm, not some rich utility company!
For a 360 degree tour of Skye Edge click here.
The windfarm would compliment the new sustainable housing that is planned for the site where the old flats have been demolished. See the council website for more details.
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5 comments:
Hi Graham!
We (me and my partner) often pop up to Skye Edge (mainly to cut across to Home Bargains at the Parkway shops!) and we are very saddened by the litter, dog mess, fly-tipping and general muck in the area. Anything to bring the place to life would be great. I don't see a problem with wind turbines if they are small ones which don't cause a noise nuisance. Do they have to be of a certain size to be efficient, I wonder? It's such a fabulous view from up there but frankly I find it a bit scary and have never been up there on my own. It's such a waste of space - not saying that anything should be put there - then it won't be so much of a space! I say it's a waste because the only people I ever see up there are people cutting across to get from A to B (like me!), kids drifting around and dog-walkers - why aren't there more of a mix of people? In my opinion, it's because it's unwelcoming.
I would love the area to be turned into more of a proper park, with trees and wildflower meadows which would be something to draw people in perhaps. I doubt that this would be seen as practical, though.
Thanks for your comment Joey- I have to say I find myself in agreement with you again. I would love to see more wild flowers and shrubs on Skye Edge. It is true, larger wind turbines are more efficient. In fact some of the older turbines in Cornwall are shortly going to be replaced with much larger ones. So it would be unlikely that "small" turbines would be put there. Have you ever been to a wind farm? They are actually very quiet. There are so many myths about them that the oil and nuclear lobbies spread to encourage locals to object when one is proposed. But when they are built they cause very few problems to the local community.
One of the problems with Skye Edge is that some people feel intimidated there. There are problems with youngsters on scooters driving dangerously on footpaths, stolen cars being burnt out etc. Anything we can do to make it a more welcoming place would be great- and a windfarm could be part of that.
Cheers Graham!
No, I've never been to a windfarm, I'd really like to though, maybe a trip for the future. It does make me wonder though, if they are so quiet, why do people complain about the noise? Well, we'll have to wait and see what happens with the open space... but at least there are some improvements being made up there around the houses, that's something I suppose...
I live on Skye Edge Road, right beneath where that would be, and I'd welcome it - the ideal for me would be if it came with some sort of maintenance contract that the power company must keep the surrounding area decent. Or rather, MAKE it decent, then keep it decent!
I know that the hillside below that bit of land is currently used for burning piles of Lidl catalogues that someone is supposed to be delivering, and for some reason dumping the dead shells of vacuum cleaners and the like. It'd be great if there was a company with good reason to keep that area nice.
Here is the correspondence I have had with the Council Officer responsible for development of windfarms. It seems Skye Edge is not currently thought to be the best site- but they are only progressing the site near High Green at the moment- which has lots of local opposition. I think we will need far more windfarms in the future, and that Skye Edge will eventually be considered.
Hi Graham,
Sky Edge was deemed as having a number of constraints to a possible development - constraints include factors like site access, grid connectivity etc...
If a scheme is not developed at Westwood then a development at any other site would need to be agreed and approved by Cabinet so is not known at the moment.
At present, the only Wind project the Council has is the commissioning of a study in to whether a Wind Farm would be feasible at Westwood.
Thanks
Howard
Howard Varns
PPPM - Chief Executive's Office
Sheffield City Council
PO Box 1283
Town Hall
Sheffield
S1 1UJ
Dear Howard
Thank you, this is very helpful. Please could I ask why Skye Edge isn't being progressed at this stage? And if the objectors are successful in opposing Westwood, which would be the next site to be considered? I was under the impression that the Council was needing to find more than one site- is this incorrect?
Many thanks
Graham Wroe
Dear Graham,
Can I confirm that WestWood is the only site being considered by the Council for a Wind Farm development. Sky Edge has been identified as having some suitable conditions for Wind Development but is not being progressed.
Also, can I confirm that there is no list of priority regarding possible future developments and that Westwood is the only site the Council intend to examine in detail.
I hope this is helpful?
Thanks
Howard
Howard Varns
PPPM - Chief Executive's Office
Sheffield City Council
PO Box 1283
Town Hall
Sheffield
S1 1UJ
Please could you send me the list of possible wind farm sites for Sheffield? I gather there is an order of priority, with some sites more suitable than others. I would particularly like to know how high up the list the Skye Edge site is.
Many thanks
Graham Wroe
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