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As we pointed out in this recent post, the Scots are a tenacious bunch of lads and lassies:
Subsidies Scrapped: Scots Rejoice at Wind Industry’s Demise – Time for a Wee Highland Fling
Delighted with David Cameron’s win – which heralds the demise of the wind industry in the UK – Highlanders have turned their claymores on the calamity presently existing.
Thousands of bat-chomping, bird slicing, blade-chucking, pyrotechnic, sonic-torture devices have been speared across Scotland – destroying the ability of Scots to live in, use and otherwise enjoy their humble homes. Now, Scots are all set to turn the tables on their wind weasel tormentors – their weapon of choice: noise numbers.
Here’s a wee report from The Press and Journal on the Scots’ latest, and final, offensive.
Noise data new weapon in war on windfarms
The Press and Journal
Iain Ramage
22 June 2015
Protesters in the north are warning windfarm operators that some schemes could be shut down for breaching noise limits.
Highland activists are preparing to follow the lead of counterparts in England and Ireland who have collated extensive data they say proves that planning conditions have been flouted at a number of windfarms.
Campaigners in the north believe similar gauging of the industry in Scotland could open the floodgates for legal action against offending operators.
Sound estimates are usually carried out by developers as part of the groundwork for planning applications to give an indication of anticipated noise levels.
But there is currently no obligation to carry out monitoring once a scheme is built — at which stage councils merely respond to individual complaints about noise.
Residents living near a turbine development in Cambridgeshire have compiled what is thought to be the most comprehensive sound history of any UK windfarm.
Monitoring has taken place over two-and-a-half years, using industry-standard recording equipment to reveal what they claim have been regular breaches at the Cottonfarm scheme at Gravely.
Highland campaigners have seen the equipment operate and now plan to instal similar devices in the north. Bev Gray, 71, who worked in renewable energy before retiring, stopped holidaying in Scotland due to the spread of windfarms.
As an adviser to a residents’ group, he claims his local wind scheme – Cotton farm – is “one of the noisiest in the world”, based on data he gleaned by installing a £16,000 machine to measure the decibel output.
Residents there now want the equipment installed at every windfarm, at the owners’ expense, as part of planning conditions.
Mr Gray said: “Developer data is never tested because it’s always taken as being accurate.
“From a month’s worth of monitoring they take a minute’s worth of the lowest noise level to produce a figure.
“It’s part of the smoke and mirrors of an illusion that allows them to build windfarms close to homes.”
The Cotton farm scheme was taken over by a City of London investment group.
Spokesman Tom Rayner said: “Greencoat UK Wind has worked with the local environmental health officer to monitor noise levels and will continue to do so as required.”
Mr Gray said his data had been taken on board by the local authorities in south Cambridgeshire and would allow people to use “accurate information” as a basis for legal action.
“We’re gradually bringing the wind industry to account,” he said.
“At the moment they can do what the hell they like. Nobody can prove them wrong because the authorities aren’t monitoring things.”
Prominent Highland anti-windfarm campaigner Lyndsey Ward, from Beauly near Inverness, has visited Cambridge and Ireland to witness communities’ monitoring of various schemes. She said the move was prompted by plans tabled by ABO Wind for a turbine scheme at Allt Carach, south-west of Beauly.
She said: “The potential devastation on our lives from ABO Wind’s proposed 25-turbine development has forced us to research the noise issue in more depth.
“Our home would have the prevailing wind in direct line from the turbines. This is not just for us, but for others across Scotland.
“Sleep deprivation can lead to more serious illnesses. Why there’s no legislation to compel developers to constantly monitor their operations beggars belief.”
Tom Harrison, project manager with Inverness-based ABO Wind UK, said: “Allt Carach is still under investigation, therefore its planning submission is uncertain. We would always comply with any noise legislation or planning condition set by the relevant planning authority.
“Should a community have concerns over noise, after consultation with that relevant community, a decision as to whether noise monitoring equipment is required would be considered.”
On the plus side: Complaints ‘will be investigated’ and projects get ‘rigorous’ checks
Highland Council said last night it would investigate any complaints about noise levels at turbine developments.
An industry body insisted all projects were subjected to “rigorous” examination at the planning stage. A spokesman for the local authority said: “We seek to ensure that noise levels at a particular house nearby any turbine does not exceed minimum levels.
“Where there is a complaint this is investigated and, if necessary, a resolution sought to any breach of planning condition.”
Joss Blamire, of trade body Scottish Renewables, said: “All wind energy projects in Scotland go through a rigorous planning process that assesses the noise impacts of developments. Only those with acceptable impacts will be consented.”
Huntingdon District Council in Cambridgeshire plans to measure noise levels at Cottonfarm Windfarm after receiving a flood of complaints from residents in surrounding villages. The decision was prompted by evidence recorded by equipment installed by residents.
Locals argue the 413ft tall turbines were built too close to homes.
The sound of the turbines has been likened to that of an aircraft or helicopter in flight.
The Press and Journal
Before we turn to the tenacity and temerity of our Scottish brothers and sisters, we can’t help but notice the drivel pitched up by wind weasel advocate, Joss Blamire, where he blurbs about wind farm operations satisfying “rigourous planning processes”.
While it’s possible to refer to any “planning process” as “rigourous”, STT thinks that, in the general, we’re dealing in matters of degree, rather than absolutes. But when the benchmarks have been written by the applicant’s own team, the concept of “rigour” disappears, absolutely.
The wind industry has known about the debilitating impacts of incessant turbine generated low-frequency noise and infrasound for 30 years – getting its own to write noise ‘standards’ that deliberately excluded low-frequency noise and infrasound – allowing it to spear turbines within a stone’s throw of homes, and to run them around-the-clock:
And, in that time, the wind industry has spent $millions pumping up pet acoustic consultants to lie, deceive and otherwise obfuscate the obvious – incessant night-time industrial noise kills a neighbour’s ability to sleep, which is itself an adverse health effect:
Sleep Deprivation the Most Common Adverse Health Effect Caused by Wind Turbine Noise
Much easier to jump the hurdle, when you get to set the height of the bar.
Now to the Highlanders’ offensive.
With the rollout of more giant fans at an end, the Scots can now concentrate their forces on crushing their enemy where it stands. So much easier to destroy your adversary when the size of its force can no longer grow; its ‘supply’ lines have been cut; and it can no longer be reinforced.
In this battle, the good and righteous have always been outgunned: done in by political patsies, greased up by the beneficiaries of an endless stream of subsidies doled out by them. Now, however, the political tide has turned; the subsidies have been pulled to a halt; and the leeches have lost their subsidy-succour.
In their weakened state, wind power outfits will make easy prey for a group of dedicated, clever and rightly angry people.
When the malign and callous are called to account, their victims hold the choice between outright vengeance and mercy. The balance exercised depends on just how merciless were their antagonists when they held the whip hand.
In this case, it will only be the grace and inherent goodness of those whose lives have been wantonly destroyed that favours any kind of mercy.
Litigation is inevitable; compensation too. Injunctions will be granted and enforced – turbines will be shut down or removed.
Highlanders – like hard-pressed rural communities around the globe – have well and truly had enough.
Defence has turned to attack; outright victory is within reach. Wherever you are, no matter how dark the horizon seems, follow the Scots’ lead – keep fighting for what is rightfully yours. Never surrender.
Robert Browning pitched it right in Prospice: “For sudden the worst turns the best to the brave,”
STOP THESE THINGS 
Aussies should be inspired by the recent events in Scotland – and the UK; Tony Abbott has set the tone for all of us.
People in Oz should get up off their bottoms and do something.
I feel litigation coming on. Get some intestinal fortitude folks, back up the great work being done by the Senators and their Inquiry.
My mentor in my former business life had a simple and effective saying, ” make it happen.” (the cat is out of the bag you know)
Unfortunately all of the inspirational work being done Federally wont mean much as long as the approval process is a state issue. Once the whole process is owned by the federal parliament, I will feel somewhat secure, This of course then accrues the risk that if a change of government occurs, then the Greentard led Labour movement will have the opportunity to go ballistic approve and encourage these things any and everywhere.
In Australia (Gullen Range), even the miss-placement of 69 out of 73 turbines wasn’t deemed to be significant enough for punitive or remedial action. Neither can I see any light here, given the NHMRC’s continual pro-windfarm stance. Alas, even though at the Federal level, windfarms are on the nose, the state governments are on the take, and Joe Citizen is left to fend for himself against the entire industry and the chardonnay quaffing North Shore Greentards that drive it.
Uncle Fester, while we appreciate your frustration regarding the NSW Planning Dept and the NHMRC, neither of them would be defendants to an action against the wind farm operator and the turbine hosts. An action in negligence and nuisance lies against them at common law:
Where the turbines are placed has no bearing on your common law rights to the use and enjoyment of your home; nor does the malign musings of the NHMRC (neither a defendant nor a witness); ditto the NSW Planning Dept. However, any breach of a planning consent – especially as to noise conditions, will be relevant to a claim in nuisance/negligence.
STT suggests you obtain competent, legal advice as to your common law rights. If you do not pursue them, no-one else will on your behalf.
Reblogged this on citizenpoweralliance.
The bottom line is not talk talk, but teeth. That means being able, as a concerned citizen, to actively take what is called a private nuisance claim against an operator causing environmental harm or pollution. In order to do so, one must have cost protection in such an environmental case in the Courts. There are interesting developments occurring in the UK legal scene in regard to this at the moment:
http://blogs.lexisnexis.co.uk/purposebuilt/the-aarhus-conventions-effect-on-private-nuisance-proceedings/
However, the UK has also been found to be in non-compliance with its international treaty obligations in relation to environmental democracy, as the cost of access to the Courts in such private nuisance claims does not meet ‘not prohibitively expensive’:
http://www.landmarkchambers.co.uk/news.aspx?id=3481
Let’s face it, these are your rights and if they were recognised as they legally should be, we wouldn’t be having these problems.
Thanks STT. Keeping smacking them until they go down. You have been an inspiration to us in Scotland and deep down I think I may be part Australian. 🙂 Thank you. The war is not yet won with Fergus Ewing, Scottish Energy Minister, holding emergency talks with the wind industry in an effort to keep the subsidies flowing and to put pressure on the UK government to backtrack. No word of compassion for affected communities from any in the SNP. We will not stop and we will hold the weasels whiskers to the fire. We will win.
We’re reproducing the whole of our intro to your excellent piece, STT.
STT have done us proud today and in particular Lyndsey Ward who has been relentless as an anti wind campaigner for many years – some will remember the epic moment on the radio programme Call Kaye where – metaphorically of course – she had Alex Salmond by the throat and wouldn’t let go.
Already the voice of The Highlands she ‘got wind of’ a development on her own doorstep, established that the perpetrator was ABO Wind and flushed them out way before they were ready; they’ve been playing catch-up ever since.
And they still are. STT have included the piece from the P & J which details Lyndsey’s investigations in Ireland and Cambridge on the subject of noise monitoring and in particular her conversations with the redoubtable Bev Gray (he’s a man by the way) who chaired a brilliant campaign against npower at Cotton Farm, Cambridge. He and his group lost but he is equally relentless. The windfarm was subsequently taken over by…a City of London investment group.
There is no requirement for a developer to routinely measure noise. Bev installed a machine to do this at Cotton Farm two and a half years ago and there are noise breaches. What this article doesn’t say is that Bev is in close touch with Mike Hulme of Den Brook, another relentless campaigner. Some will remember his absolute persistence from the television series Windfarm Wars.
Mike has recently served RES, the Den Brook developer, with a pre-action protocol Notice of Intent to inform RES of an intention to set up 24/7 noise monitoring and secondly to compel the developer to advise potential investors and other interested parties similarly. The noise will be broadcast over the internet. (Den Brook still hasn’t been built).
We will put the link to the Cotton Farm noise monitoring in comments.
Back to STT. They have no trouble in understanding Scottish weasels and their cohorts – they’re much like their homegrown breed.
‘Before we turn to the tenacity and temerity of our Scottish brothers and sisters, we can’t help but notice the drivel pitched up by wind weasel advocate, Joss Blamire, where he blurbs about wind farm operations satisfying “rigourous planning processes”.
And, finally, you get us, STT!!
‘In their weakened state, wind power outfits will make easy prey for a group of dedicated, clever and rightly angry people.
When the malign and callous are called to account, their victims hold the choice between outright vengeance and mercy. The balance exercised depends on just how merciless were their antagonists when they held the whip hand.
In this case, it will only be the grace and inherent goodness of those whose lives have been wantonly destroyed that favours any kind of mercy.’
GUESS WHAT? WE’VE GOT NONE!!
None was shown by those that beset ye; none, then, need be given.
Soon it will be blurbs about wind farm operations rigor mortis forecasted developments, as the putrification settles in for this industry. There’s no coming back, they have been dealt death blows.
They prospered for a while but truth, anger and unapologetic hard work to bring light to their lies has felled them and they will not rise again. The halberd rose and fell to bring justice.
Planning in every country this ruinous industry invaded will be held to account and in every country it invaded it will face the same fate.
Soon the screeching song of the whirling pillars will fall silent and the sound of nature will once again reign.
The windweasel grubs will know when we are all on the attack, as the grubs will wish they had never heard of these corrupt fans. We will send them belly up (bankrupt).
We have been too nice to these grubs for too long.