We, the undersigned, wish to formally object to the proposal to site a 77m commercial wind turbine at Barrock End on the following grounds:

1. Improper consultation - the landowner, Mr P Coates, Harmony Energy and their agent, Mr M Coates have failed twice to follow a proper consultation with local residents. With their first choice of site for this turbine, they did not notify residents within 2km of the proposed site, sending out only a handful of undated letters of intent to residents in Aiketgate. They gave no indication of the timescales of the consultation period, nor deadlines by which objections should be submitted. They then changed the proposed site (to an equally unacceptable location) and refused to begin a new consultation period and process with residents likely to be impacted by the development. After some weeks and repeated requests to reconsult, they sent out a new letter of intent, which was titled 'pre-application consultation'. This letter was dated and did contain a deadline for submission of comments, however, again, only a handful of Aiketgate residents received copies. To the best of our knowledge, no other residents within a 2km radius were provided with a copy of the letter. Essentially, two flawed consultations have taken place to date, and will form the basis of Harmony Energy's planning submission. Additionally, in all but very few cases, questions put to Harmony's agent, Mr M Coates, by local residents, have gone unanswered. It is clear that Harmony and its representatives have no intention of taking into account the views of local people, and plan to pursue the proposed development without proper consideration of the suitability of the site.

2. Landscape and visual impact - the proposed site and size of turbine mean that the villages of Aiketgate, Low Hesket, High Hesket, Cotehill, Southwaite and Wetheral/Wetheral Plains will all have the turbine, or partial views of the rotating blades as a strident skyline feature. Barrock Fell is a well known local landmark with a rich history, and is visible from the Lakeland Fells, the North Pennines AONB and Southern Scotland. It is also a prominent feature on the skyline from areas of Carlisle, Penrith, Dalston and Brampton. The proposed turbine would be 77m at an elevation of 163m, meaning that the turbine would far exceed the peak of the fell, making it a disruptive skyline feature out of scale with its setting. The proposed commercial turbine would not be appropriate in this undulating agricultural/amenity area between two more sheltered valleys, where it would be over-dominant and conflict with more irregular land cover patterns. The site has a high sensitivity to turbine development.

3. Environmental impact - In the wooded areas on Barrock Fell itself, in other wooded areas towards Black Moss Pool in close proximity to the proposed site, and in the wider local area, there are large numbers of roosting bats, barn owls, tawny owls, birds of prey, other bird species such as curlews and lapwings, and red squirrels. Traditional hedgerows all around the site also provide essential habitats for numerous other species. The local area is agricultural and amenity land and woodland, with herds of cattle, sheep and horses. We are particularly concerned about the damage that could be done by this development to the local ecology. There is increasing evidence that birds of prey and bats are particularly at risk from collision, air pressure changes and vibrational noise from wind turbines. Furthermore, Furthermore, we are concerned about the destruction that would be caused to hedgerows and habitats via the installation of an access road to the site, given that existing roads into the locale are single track and not suitable for the abnormal load vehicles needed to transport turbine machinery.

4. Noise impact - All dwellings within the hamlet of Aiketgate are within close proximity of the proposed site, and are therefore likely to suffer regular, and at times constant noise in the form of aerodynamic noise (from trailing edge turbulence and other 'self-noise' factors), mechanical noise (from the gearbox, tooth mesh, generator, windings, cooling fans and hydraulic control equipment of the turbine), and vibrational noise (vibrational energy emissions transmitted into the external environment by the turbine structure). The Government's recognised standard for noise assessment from wind turbines, the ETSU-R-97 report, clearly indicates that turbines operating in exposed elevated locations such as the Barrock End site can be heard strongly in more sheltered, lower occupied areas. In addition, up to 150 other properties within a 2 kilometre radius are also likely to suffer from the unwanted effects of turbine noise, as research shows that the repetitive swishing, whooshing, chomping, thumping and whurring sounds can travel long distances.

5. Health impact - there is increasing evidence to support the health dangers of inappropriate siting of turbines, with at least 1-2km safe set back distances being advised by medical professionals. Pre-existing motion sensitivity, inner ear damage, and migraine disorder have been shown to be risk factors for what is now known as 'Wind Turbine Syndrome'. Data suggests, further, that young children and adults beyond age 50 are also at substantial risk. This view is supported by the findings of leading clinicians in the fields of ENT and neuro-ontology, including specialist consultant to the US Navy and NASA on vestibular dysregulation, Dr F. Owen Black. These findings confirm that the cochlea within the human ear (which links to the vestibular organs) responds to infrasound without registering it as sound. Infrasound, in fact, increases pressure inside both the cochlea and vestibular organs, distorting both balance and hearing. The homes of residents in Aiketgate are within a much closer proximity (those outlying the village only some 500-600m away) to the proposed turbine site, and up to 150 properties sit within a 2 kilometre radius. We are concerned that this poses a significant risk to the health of a high number of families, particularly to those residents with pre-existing conditions such as migraine, epilepsy and autism.

6. Shadow flicker - The extent of the impact that shadow flicker causes is given in psychology studies (Pohl et al) as 'increasing demands on mental and physical energy', 'cumulative long-term effects might meet the criteria of a significant nuisance', causing 'stress reactions' even after only short-term exposure, and 'considerable harassment effects'. There is also evidence to suggest that shadow flicker can be a dangerous problem for those in our local communities who have conditions such as migraines, epilepsy and autism. It's 'strobing' and distracting effect may also pose a threat to road users on the high-speed main A6 that runs parallel to the site, and on the single track roads locally that are often also busy with tractors and heavy farm machinery.

7. Impact on wireless communications - The impact the proposed development would have on Aiketgate village's telecommunications, broadcast and wireless services is also of huge concern to residents. As a result of the extremely poor existing broadband service, Aiketgate residents have recently sourced an alternative community broadband service option. A number of households have already made the transition to a microwave phone and broadband solution provided by a Cumbria-based specialist company. This will guarantee speeds of 5Mb minimum (with up to 30Mb possible), compared to the previous habitual levels of 0.5Mb or less. A number of local residents are self-employed and work from home. Efficient telephone and broadband services are therefore essential to running their small businesses. Other households are pending installation, with yet more set to transfer to the new service as soon as their contracts with existing providers expire. This has been the result of great community efforts and teamwork, and was, until the news of the proposed turbine and its impact on the new service, a source of great celebration and excitement for residents. The community initiative's phone and broadband provider has confirmed: "...[our] engineer was out there yesterday and...is certain at the very least that the close proximity of the turbine is going to cause disturbance from noise alone due to the frequency." This is completely unacceptable and will incur further financial detriment to local residents. It is also at odds with the county-wide campaign to bring fast, reliable broadband to Cumbria's rural communities. 

8. Impact on amenity users - The area surrounding Aiketgate is a local beauty spot, and is visited daily by people coming from local towns to take in the views, walk their dogs, exercise their horses, and enjoy the peaceful surroundings. Many walkers, dog walkers, bird watchers, cyclists and horse riders use the small rural unclassified roads, tracks, foot and bridle paths in the vicinity, as well as visiting areas of local woodland on Barrock Fell itself and in the nearby High Stand forest. It is our strong concern that the erection of the proposed turbine will seriously damage the pleasure, comfort and health enjoyed by those living in or near the peaceful hamlet of Aiketgate and those visiting the area for amenity use. Many locals and visitors alike walk, ride horses or cycle regularly on the single track roads which go round the turbine site. Our regular exercise route with its outstanding views to the Lakes, Solway, Pennines and Scottish hills will be made unpleasant, potentially dangerous and unusable. We are also concerned about the safety issues for local road users due to shadow flicker and the distracting prominence of the turbine. In particular, drivers on the M6 motorway, as the top of the turbine and blades would be visible for drivers travelling north and south, and drivers on the A6 from Thiefside to Scalesceugh Hill, on the Armathwaite to Cotehill Road, on the Aiketgate to A6 road, on the Armathwaite to A6 road, and on the Low Hesket to Aiketgate Road. We believe that the turbine would appear distracting, intrusive and out of scale, often against the skyline and at times with only a disconcertingly partial view of the rotating blades. Furthermore, according to research, the inconsiderate siting of inappropriately large wind turbines is of particular concern in areas with low flying aircraft. The surrounding airspace is frequently used by military, emergency service and national grid pylon assessment aircraft, most of which fly either at very high speeds or very low, or in the case of military aircraft, both. Wind turbine 'noise' is known to interfere with radar and other navigation equipment, shadow flicker can cause a dangerous problem with visibility, and turbine blades themselves can pose an obstacle hazard. In terms of the impact on landscape and tourism, we believe that the impact of the proposed scheme on local and adjacent landscape character types far outweighs any benefits of the scheme. The turbine would impact on views into the Lake District National Park and towards the Pennines, Solway Coast and Scotland.

9. Impact on local property prices - Recent research conducted by the London School of Economics has proven that houses within 1.2 miles of wind turbine sites can have their values slashed by up to 11%. Even those within a 2.5 mile radius can see a drop in value of 3%.

We urge you to reject this proposal, as we believe that Barrock End is wholly unsuitable as a turbine site. The planning balance cannot be achieved, and the negative impacts of the proposed development will always outweigh any possible gains.

Thank you for your consideration.