IT is interesting to read the piece on the proposal to erect wind turbines on a ridge at Edgworth and the objections raised.

There is a worldwide need for clean, green electricity, and energy from the wind is a totally free resource which does not pollute the air we breathe nor the ground from which we take our sustenance.

The drawbacks, of course, are visual pollution and low frequency noise from the blades turning in the wind. This can only be heard if you are very close to the turbines (within 100 metres).

A cheap, renewable energy resource is, in most people's eyes, progress indeed.

However, while many people see progress as a positive thing, progress becomes negative if it is in their own backyard.

Progress in England has suffered many setbacks in its past. Invention and innovation have created fear and misunderstanding among those such as the Luddites, and now aesthetics are a perceived problem to the modern-day Luddites.

England has long been one of the largest generators of nuclear waste, in power stations such as Sellafield and Windscale. The country even imports spent uranium waste for processing for other countries - but at what cost?

Weigh up the alternatives - which is the preferable option?

Tom Bostock

Hawkes Bay

New Zealand