GEOFFREY OSBORN, of Blackawton, writes:

In response to Steve Peacock's excellent article in the paper recently I should like to add my views to the discussion.

1. I am not against wind turbines as such, but I feel very strongly that they must be in keeping with their surroundings in terms of scale and landscape. In and within sight of our unique South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and Dartmoor National Park, only domestic scale turbines should be allowed, that is turbines no taller than the residential properties they serve.

2 This AONB, most of which is dramatically shown in the aerial map last week, is not a place to site industrial scale turbines, some of which, are up to 330 feet in height, for example the one suggested near Hemborough Post! Can you imagine that? I certainly find it difficult to guess what that would look like. I tried comparing it with the height of other well-known structures in the area. The Dartmouth Daymark at Brownston, for example, is 82 feet high, the BT station at Stanborough Hundred is probably similar, as are our familiar local church towers.

3. Are the residents of Dartmouth, Dittisham, and Capton, and all the thousands of visitors to these places, aware that the whole ridge of high ground from Hemborough Post eastwards towards Dittisham could be spiked with at least four great turbines, so that every time on drives into or out of these places, one will be struck by how these horrendous urban-type structures can spoil a beautiful view. Will these visitors come back a second time, I wonder?

4 The visual impact of these huge structures over a vast area will be disastrous for residents and visitors alike and the small financial gain for a few landowners will be far outweighed by the long-term damage to the local economy. The only others who would profit from wind energy will be the electricity companies, almost all foreign-owned, creaming off the government subsidies paid for by us, the taxpayers.

5 Local residents will suffer from noise pollution; bats and birds will be killed by the rotating blades.

6 In an attempt to stop this 'March of the Turbines' across the South Hams, I have written to all South Hams councillors who are involved in planning application decisions, to alert them to these problems, and to implore them to instruct the planning officials to protect our countryside and not to give into pressures from developers seeking short-term gains. So if you feel as strongly as I do, get on to your computers and e-mail your elected representatives straightaway – it only takes a few minutes.

7. The leader of the district council – John Tucker, whose ward includes several of the applications mentioned above, is setting the right example by saying in his profile in the council website: 'I consider the South Hams, with its rolling hills and stunning coastline, the best place to live in all of Britain.'

Finally, this paper and its sister editions does a splendid job each week by publishing readers' pictures under the heading 'the beauty of the South Hams'. Let us all try to keep it that way.