SIR – Those who would support the proposed Benington wind turbines seem to feel that this is their last remaining opportunity to protect our planet from imminent destruction. Wind energy certainly has its place, but it is not crammed into a small patch o

SIR - Those who would support the proposed Benington wind turbines seem to feel that this is their last remaining opportunity to protect our planet from imminent destruction.

Wind energy certainly has its place, but it is not crammed into a small patch of land within two km of over 1,000 houses. Sadly Mr Bott is unable to move the turbines further away from dwellings, as he has no other site available to him. To those of us who are all understandably concerned about global warming, and reducing our carbon footprint, I would say, have no fear, wind turbines will be erected all over Britain, thousands of them, the Government's lavish subsidies will see to that. These subsidies make it hugely tempting for any farmer with a bit of land to erect these industrial cash cows in their back field. Our role, the village dweller with judgement unaffected by the whiff of large cash sums, is to protect our few remaining areas of outstandingly beautiful countryside. Our role is to stand up against the proposals of avaricious landowners who are tempted to cash in on vast Government subsidies.

Make no mistake this is all about money, and lots of it. Tens of millions of pounds are on offer to these early pioneers of wind energy who are hoping to ride rough-shod over the clearly voiced wishes of over 80 per cent of their previous fellow parishioners.

This proposal is quick off the starting blocks, but that does not mean that we should support it. Mr Bott's turbines would, quite simply, be in completely the wrong place. These industrial machines should be on industrial (or already scarred) areas, by a motorway or on a brownfield site, or off-shore. In addition, they should (obviously) be in a windy part of the country, which is not (even more obviously) in the middle of the country many miles from the wind-swept coast.

Let us not sleep-walk into the wholesale destruction of our precious, and historic, landscape.

Let us wait for a sensible and appropriate location.

Dr JULIAN GODLEE

By email