I always enjoy the birdsong and the peaceful tranquillity
round the wooded walk where Dusty and I daily perambulate. Apart from the
infrequent buzz of a helicopter overhead or a jet headed to or from London, and
the muted waterfall of commuter traffic on the road a mile or so away, no other
human-generated noises intrude.
But yesterday a spectral Goliath rose up in a nearby field.
Someone has applied for permission to erect a 100M wind turbine in a productive
farm field, within 500M of homes and farms. Now I’m all for renewables, and I’m
aware of the NIMBY syndrome and don’t really want to embrace that, but this is
shocking.
This is an area used by recreational cyclists, horse riders,
dog walkers, and farmers. At a time when world food stocks are in decline it
seems madness to stick the footprint of a huge turbine on productive farming
land.
It’s also home to Red Kites and a myriad of other birds and
animals.
The one who wants to build the turbine does not live in this
area. He just wants to make money.
I wasn’t expecting to have a few hours of yesterday hijacked
by the necessity of reading up on the proposal and lodging my objection. This is
the day that the Lord has made. I have my plans, but equally want to be
flexible today, holding them loosely in case another giant looms up on the
horizon.
We want to be good stewards of the amazing earth the Lord
has provided. Sometimes the way to do that isn’t so straightforward.
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