« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
Public Attitudes to Windfarms: A Survey of Local Residents in Scotland
Chapter NINE Conclusions
9.1 People who live within 20 kilometres of Scotland's windfarms often live in remote and widely dispersed communities. Many only see the turbines on their local site occasionally, for example when using the roads. The existence of the windfarms does not appear to be prominent in people's minds. Concerns, where they existed, that the construction of a windfarm would have a damaging impact have largely not materialised, according to local people. The most prominent long-term impact that people would consider a problem is the visual effect on the landscape. Overall, however, twice as many people think the local windfarm has had a positive impact as think it has had a negative impact on the area.
9.2 People living in zones closest to the windfarms tend to have more positive views, even though they are more likely to see the turbines as they go about their every day lives. They are also more likely than others to support the idea of an expansion by 50% of the number of turbines on the site.
9.3 Support for the principle of an expansion of electricity generation using windpower is overwhelming among people living within 20 kilometres of an existing site.
« Previous | Contents | Next »