Check this page regularly for any local press articles, developments and updates on DART's campaign.

17th November 2005: The DART Committee met and resolved to continue monitoring local developments and to remain vigilant of any potential threats to the rural community from wind turbine installations. The DART web site will remain active not only to keep the membership informed but also to contribute to the national network of opposition groups throughout the UK. DART remains an affiliate member of the REF (Renewable Energy Foundation).

2nd March 2006: Renewable Energy Foundation (REF) Winash Press Release: WHINASH WINDFARM REJECTION GIVES HOPE FOR OTHER TECHNOLOGIES The Energy Minister has today announced that he will be rejecting the application to build a very large wind farm on the Whinash ridge in the Lake District. This decision is a welcome recognition that on-shore wind energy can have severe environmental impacts that outweigh its modest benefits.

2nd March 2006: BBC News: Giant wind farm plan thrown out Plans to create England's largest wind farm in Cumbria have been rejected by the government. The £55m development would have seen 27 turbines, each 377ft tall, erected at Whinash, near Kendal.

27nd February 2006: Hold the Front Page: Opinion poll fix attempt discovered by paper The Oldham Advertiser has caught staff at multi-national energy firm E.ON UK trying to fix an opinion poll about its bid to build a wind farm... It emerged that 104 votes had been cast by E.ON UK staff in just 90 minutes.

22nd February 2006: Eastern Daily Press: A pioneering green energy firm (Ecotricty) misled consumers about the amount of power generated by its wind turbines, a watchdog has ruled. Ecotricity claimed its twin turbines, which straddle the A47 at Swaffham, produce enough electricity for 3000 homes. But the Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint about a leaflet circulated by the company, stating it breached clauses in its code of conduct concerning "substantiation" and "truthfulness". (Article by Chric Bishop and reproduced by kind permission of the Eastern Daily Press.)

The full ASA Ruling on Ecotricity can be found here.

December 21st 2005: Press Association: Wind farm firm 'inflated figures' The company (Renewable Energy Systems) behind a controversial proposed wind farm used misleading figures about its potential impact on global warming, the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has ruled. A leaflet about plans to erect wind turbines on farmland near North Tawton, west Devon, claimed they would reduce CO2 emissions by over 1.3 million tonnes over their lifetime.

December 20th 2005: Renewable Energy Foundation (REF) Press Release: ASA SLASHES ESTIMATED CO2 SAVINGS FROM WIND The Advertising Standards Authority will tomorrow (21.12.05) announce that following an investigation by its own Independent Reviewer, Sir John Caines, KCB, it has overturned an earlier ruling upholding the CO2 saving claimed by Renewable Energy Systems for a major onshore wind proposal in the Denbrook Valley, Devon, cutting the claimed savings by more than half.

The full ASA Ruling on RES can be found here.

December 2005: CPRE: CPRE's Campaign on Industrial Turbines This letter has been sent to all Dorset MPs.

October 24 2005: The EEF: Wind power: it's just like letting your money blow away in the breeze... A new report from EEF , the leading manufacturer's group in the UK, demonstrates all to starkly the economic folly of supporting wind energy. The new EEF report shows that, when gas and carbon prices are high, Gas costs under £40 per MWh, followed by conventional coal and clean coal (both under £50 per MWh). By contrast, onshore wind is nearly £60 per MWh, while offshore wind, at over £70 per MWh, is just punitive. A government must have money to burn to contemplate offshore wind.

Even when fossil fuel prices are low, gas is the most cost effective (at under £30 per MWh). This makes offshore wind more than 3 times the cost of gas. Yet more money to burn.

23rd June 2005: Controversial wind farm plan axed A scheme to build nine controversial 340ft (104m) wind turbines in rural Dorset has been scrapped (BBC News).

17th June 2005: "Your Energy Ltd." not only withdrew their application, but are NOT NOW going to submit another application. Dorset CPRE (Council for the Protection of Rural England) and DART (Dorset against Rural Turbines) were delighted to hear that the Appeal lodged by Your Energy Ltd. on 27th April against the refusal by North Dorset District Council of their application to build nine giant wind turbines, larger than Salisbury spire, on land at Winterborne Zelston, owned by M. Hooper & Sons, had been dismissed.

This was because "Your Energy Ltd." failed to comply to statutory requirements. This news removed from hundreds of local inhabitants the threat that has been hanging over them for the last two years and enables them to get on with their lives. Both CPRE and DART support the use of the many other renewable energy sources available and hope that the Government will give more attention to bringing on stream these other sources rather than land based wind power.

All National and Local Press articles over about 12 months old are now on DART's Press Archive Web-Page.