Evening Post column for Evening Post from Dr Altaf Hussain MS.
July 19 2021.
OPPOSITION is mounting against proposals to site a windfarm on land at Margam Mountain above Port Talbot and the Afan Valley.
The plan is to build 26 monster turbines up to 750 feet high which will start at the ridge line of Margam Mountain above Brombil and then march through the forestry past the village of Bryn and then up the flank of Mynydd Garnwen which separates the Afan and Llynfi Valleys.
The turbines will be among the highest ever put on land in the UK and are almost as high as The Shard. They will be visible across Swansea Bay
At the moment, there is no planning application in place but the developers have already staged consultation events and will hold more as the application proceeds. The final decision will be taken by Welsh Government.
I attended a meeting last Friday in Bryn with some of the campaigners opposing this plan who have many concerns. These include the noise from the massive blades, the possibility of flicker or strobing and the loss of habitat for wildlife. The area involved is owned by Natural Resources Wales which advertised for alternative energy companies to come forward with proposals and then selected this one. It begs the question of whether or not NRW will be able to offer independent advice to the planners when they are also the landowners and stand to benefit financially.
I am told that the two functions of this statutory body will have a “Chinese” wall between them but I suspect that the public will take a lot of convincing.
There are also fears about damage to the rich archaeological heritage of this area which is littered with ancient monuments including burial mounds, marching camps and battle sites stretching back through Roman times to the Iron and Bronze ages.