Peter Luff sets wind turbine distance from UK houses

MP Peter Luff had recently introduced a bill advocating that large wind turbines should be constructed 1.5 miles away from houses. Luff explained that the creation of the bill is partly due to the UK’s remote areas being home to various national parks and beautiful landscapes. The policymaker had garnered big support from residents who are against to the planned wind farm extension at Lenchwick, near the Vale of Evesham.

However, MP Martin Horwood believed that the bill may have a bad effect to the country and will pressure the countryside to accept wind turbine projects that could not be built in urban locations. This would mean halting new wind farms in the UK, which is under pressure to meet its renewable energy goals.

In addition, Bill critics warned that the 1.5-mile limit would result to the collapse of the UK’s entire onshore wind energy industry. If passed, the bill would cause damage to the country’s offshore wind sector, as the UK will be seen by wind turbine manufacturers as anti-wind energy.

During the proposal’s first reading in the House of Commons, Luff urged the UK government to stop landowners from erecting 300ft to 500ft turbines near their houses. He stressed that turbine blades commonly emit noise measured at 40dB, which could have adverse health effects to home residents.

Vicky Portwain of the wind farm developer Coriolis Energy however disagreed with Luff. The results of the recent study she conducted showed that people living within a kilometre from a wind farm do not have problems with the noise emitted from turbines.