What is the current BMC position on windfarms? Dr Cath Flitcroft, BMC Access Officer, explains what's been going on following the BMC Windfarm Seminar in Llanberis.

The BMC Wind Farm Seminar (10 Sept, Llanberis) aimed to determine why, how, where or when we should get involved in the wind farm debate.

An initial summary of the event was published on the BMC website in late September together with an invitation for people to submit detailed comments and views to the BMC office. A questionnaire survey was also sent to a random selection of BMC members in early October to ask some more detailed questions; the response rate was 30% and a summary of the results is as follows:

• 90% of people felt the BMC should have a view on wind farms.
   
• People felt we should not take a blanket view for or against wind farms. The results were not clear cut - 28% said we should oppose developments, 26% felt we should support them and 28% were neutral.
   
• People felt we should respond to proposals on a case by case basis where upland areas will be affected; decisions should be Area driven.
   
• 75% of people said the BMC should have a general landscape policy (covering all forms of upland development) rather than a stand alone wind farm policy.
   
• The majority of respondents felt pylons have the greatest impact on the uplands with eroded footpaths and wind farms being rated equal second.
   
• 40% of people considered local access negotiations the most important aspect of our A&C work; 12% rated landscape issues (including wind farms) as our top priority.

Next steps

The various comments received together with the survey and workshop results have been summarised in more detail and the BMC Access and Conservation Group now plans to establish a Landscape Working Group in 2012 to consider the issue in more detail.


 

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