Planners refuse wind farm because of noise pollution

(A slighly edited version of this article was published in the 'Sunday World' of August 31st 2014)

by Anton McCabe

For the first time, planners have turned down a proposed wind farm because of noise, The planned wind farm was at Drumadarragh Hill, north of Ballyclare, on the edge of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. First Planning Service, then the Planning Appeals Commission, refused permission.

The Planning Appeals Commission’s ruling said the proposal “would have an unacceptable noise impact on sensitive receptors.” In May a Commissioner visited the area to investigate noise from two existing wind farms. When a north-westerly wind was blowing “there was a constant hum audible, accompanied by a rhythmic swish.” When the wind dropped, turbine noise increased markedly. “The turbine noise was a distinct and constant artificial presence,” he said. At one house he could hear a loud “thump” from the downbeat of turbines.

The Commissioner found local resident Dorothy Kane a “candid witness,” whose experience was documented by Dr Hanning, a Sleep Medium Consultant. “… I am satisfied that Mrs Kane had no pattern of headaches or sleepless nights until after Wolf Bog (wind farm) was erected and the she could not think of other factors to have caused the change in sleep patterns,” he said. “I also have no reason to dispute that she sleeps better away from home.” He had “concerns” at “the general increase in noise exposure that would be experienced at sensitive properties.”

The refused application was from Drumadarragh Wind Farm. The application began in 2005 for 10 turbines, at a maximum height of 107 metres (351 feet). This was amended over the next three years, finally becoming four turbines 77 metres (252 feet) high. Last year Planning Service rejected it because of noise: the Planning Appeals Commission upheld that rejection.

The company which proposed the development, Drumadarragh Wind Farm, is controlled by wind farm entrepreneur Doreen Walker. She is a director of 10 other wind energy companies in Northern Ireland. She did not reply to an e mail from the Sunday World.

Dan Kane was one of the opponents of Drumadarragh. He said residents decided to object after two wind farms were build in the area. There were no problems with the first. Then the second was built. “The first thing that hit us was the size of it and the noise was quite exceptional, especially at night,” he said.

The noise was critical to objections. “People differ on visual impact,” he said. “That is subjective. Noise is objective – either you experience it or you don’t.” When going round the area, campaigners found many neighbours suffered headaches due to existing turbines. They brought in a noise expert from Britain, who showed the quality of locals’ sleep was being damaged. Local MP, Reverend William McCrea, supported them, arranging a meeting with then Environment Minister, Edwin Poots.  “It was never an emotional call with us – it was argued out,” Kane said.

Dr Alan Evans, Emeritus Professor of Public Health at Queen’s University, welcomed the planners’ decision. “One day we’ll have to fight noise as strongly as cholera and plague,” he said. Noise from wind turbines is dangerous. “There is a syndrome called wind farm syndrome, which causes deprivation of sleep,” he said. The Government knows there is a problem. “There are reports which prove that there is a problem with low frequency noise,” he said. “It seems the Government is prepared to write off rural communities, and accept the collateral damage to health.”

Campaigners against wind farms welcomed the decision. Owen McMullan, of West Tyrone against Wind Turbines, said planners had not applied the same principles to his area. One third of all wind farms given planning permission in Northern Ireland are in West Tyrone. “They’re not taking into account the cumulative impact of these,” he said. “People are now finding out the hard way because of the number of wind farms across the Province.”

It seems the numbers of wind farms will keep on increasing. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment wants 40% of electricity to come from renewables by 2020. So far, 88% of planning applications for wind farms have been approved.

The Commissioner’s report on Drumadarragh points to future problems. “As the informatives (regarding noise from two existing wind farms in the area) are unenforceable there is nothing to prevent the existing wind farms making as much noise as they like, and the Department (of the Environment) would have no locus to investigate the issue never mind consider enforcement action,” he said. “This leaves statutory nuisance legislation as the only way to address noise issues emanating from these turbines… It also needs to be borne in mind that as they age turbine mechanics have the potential to become noisier.”

The same report said there would have been no significant number of jobs from Drumadarragh. There would have been “infrequent though regular maintenance visits. Occasional technical problems will require maintenance visits from technical staff and a full time specialist may be required to carry out further operational controls from the control building.”

However, it remains to be seen whether the rulings on Drumadarragh mark a harder line by planners on the spread of wind farms. They will certainly encourage the growing numbers of objectors.