Concerns over birds and turbines

THESE days, nothing is more likely to promote fierce debate than proposals to site wind turbines in areas of natural beauty.

I live in the Yorkshire Wolds and have seen at first hand how these gleaming towers blight the landscape.

So to all intent and purpose, I fully support every legal endeavour to prevent the spread of wind turbines in this part of England.

Nevertheless, I was surprised to read of a singular dispute involving the RSPB at Bempton on the Yorkshire coast.

From what I understand from news reports, a group calling themselves Bempton Residents Against Turbines had sought support from their local RSPB, for their objection to a 150ft wind turbine planned for a site close to their village.

Now, without knowing the detail of either the planned erection or the basis of the objections, I feel it’s worth pointing out that the RSPB is a charitable enterprise with a dedicated role for study and conservation.

I should clarify at this point I am a member of the RSPB and in summer months, no stranger to their site at Bempton.

Nonetheless, the thought of a large wind turbine less than a mile from that site does cause me some concern!

That concern however is not for the birds that frequent the cliffs nearby.

I am sure that RSPB officials were careful to determine the usual flight paths of migrating birds in relation to the site for this intended turbine; and would assume that had there been any concern, they (RSPB) would have raised an objection based upon that scientific evidence.

That not being the case however, the RSPB would be powerless to raise an objection as a body, because that action would place their charitable status at risk.

Rubbish service from council

From: Rev JS Dodd, Shawdene, Burton Crescent, Leeds.

ONE hears a lot about recycling of waste, and the city of Leeds collects green bin waste once a month....

Well, that is the general idea and much is made of green credentials in our city.

The truth of the matter is far from the proud boast.

We have had no green bin collection since January 23 and contacting waste disposal in Leeds is fruitless, that is if you can actually contact them.

Having flats and bin liners is haphazard.

Push button telephones cut one off from real life.

There is no one to talk to and if you do manage to find a real live person to talk to, they can only contact the people you wish to speak to and nothing much happens, though much is promised.

Those responsible in our city are not doing their job where refuse collection is concerned and the sooner something is done about their neglect, the better.

The salt of the earth

From: Nino Hoblyn, North Street, Caistor, Lincolnshire.

YOUR headline “Farmers anxious as drought concerns increase” (Yorkshire Post, February 25) had me scratching my head in wonderment on how things do differ in various parts of England that all said and done don’t have that many miles between them.

For here in Lincolnshire we have a village near the town of Louth named Covenham, when back in the 60s, work was started to build a reservoir, which on completion has served with a purpose that is in fact “second to none,” to the point where today work has begun to take a pipe from this area all the way to Boston.

So why can’t the same thing be done for other areas that are in need of water?

Why, oh, why on earth don’t we have desalination plants around our coast line?

If this country can build them in Kuwait, surely we can do the same here?

Sorting out mail priorities

From: Terry Roberts, Belgrave Road, Bingley.

I AM appalled at the news that Bingley Sorting Office is to close, forcing residents to collect undelivered mail from Bradford.

How will people with no transport, or people who work collect their mail?

They will face a two-hour round trip by public transport, or put more traffic on our totally congested roads.

This is done solely for the convenience of the Royal Mail and not for the customers. We must prevent this erosion of local services.

Secondly, the proposal to build 400 homes near Bingley must be rejected. The infrastructure is not good enough, the valley is over crowded and the destruction of green spaces is unacceptable.