EXAMINING APPROACHES TO RENEWABLES CONSULTATION.

LESSONS FROM AWEL AMAN TAWE COMMUNITY WIND FARM PROJECT

ETSU K/BD/00236/REP

DTI/Pub URN 01/1068

Contractor Awel Aman Tawe

Prepared by E Hinshelwood D McCallum

The work described in this report was carried out under contract as part of the DTI Sustainable Energy Programmes. The views and judgements expressed in this report are those of the contractor and do not necessarily reflect those of the DTI.

First published 2001 © Crown copyright 2001

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The overall aim was: To develop and test a range of methods for a Participatory Assessment Process (PAP) in a large community on the subject of a Renewable Energy project in the area. Furthermore, to extract lessons regarding the methods and approaches undertaken.

The specific objectives were: 1. To identify and shape appropriate tools, methods and approaches for undertaking a fair community assessment process regarding a Renewable Energy project in the locality. 2. To conduct an in-depth (ten month) community consultation and assessment process for a proposed wind farm 3. To assess the methods and approaches used in the community consultation and assessment process for their efficiency and value to other developers and community groups. 4. To write up and disseminate the findings regarding the most valuable, efficient and appropriate methods and approaches undertaken.

Introduction The increasing level of local opposition faced by wind farm developers in the UK over the last few years has led to a recognition of the importance of greater community involvement in Renewable Energy schemes and in more attention given to community consultation regarding proposed developments. However, despite this recognition there are still few examples in the UK of communities being involved in anything other than developer-led initiatives, and even in those, consultation and participation has been limited.

It has been recommended by the House of Lords Select Committee in their recent report on Renewable Energy (1999) that it is 'vital' that 'urgent steps are taken to cultivate better public understanding of the issues and to create a more favourable climate for new proposals'. Nevertheless, there still exists little practical guidance as to how to involve local people in the planning of a Renewable Energy scheme. This is one of the gaps that Awel Aman Tawe were funded to address.

Awel Aman Tawe is a community initiative, planned and implemented by experienced community practitioners. The organisation's overall aim is to develop a small wind farm, which could act as a major community asset to support a programme of local regeneration. The first phase of the project was a Participatory Assessment Process designed: • To explore the criteria on which people base their decision of whether they want to pursue the community wind farm idea or not. • To support the participation of local people in making the decision as to whether the project should go ahead.

i In order to identify lessons regarding consultation and community involvement that would be useful to other Renewable Energy schemes, the project integrated a research element. The purpose of this was: • To assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the consultation in supporting community involvement in RE projects in general. • To monitor how different criteria affect people's decisions • To monitor how people's opinions change over the period of consultation. • To identify useful lessons learnt that could be disseminated to other communities and developers.

Summary of work carried out: The project was divided into three stages: • Stage I (April & May 2000) Establishment of monitoring systems, research design, training, limited press coverage, structured interviews part one, community group audit.

• Stage II (June 2000 - February 2001) In-depth consultation including leaflets to all households, coach trips to wind farms, focus group discussions, presentations, speakers from RE industry and people living locally to other wind farms, displays in public spaces, press coverage, semi-structured interviews, public meetings.

• Stage III (February - March 2001) Structured interviews part two, to monitor change in opinions. Further limited consultation. Referendum to determine whether the project should go ahead. Dissemination of the results to the local community. Analysis of data and preparation of final report and consultation guide.

The Participatory Assessment Process adopted three main aspects of consultation: information dissemination, discussion & debate and community decision-making. They were used iteratively: information disseminated supported discussion & debate; community discussion fed into further information dissemination as well as into decisions made about the conditions for the wind farm and as to whether the project should go ahead at all.

Nearly 6,000 people in the Upper Amman and Swansea Valley areas participated to some extent in the discussion and decision-making about the wind farm idea. Twenty community groups participated in discussions, 265 people came on coach trips to see wind farms. Three hundred and seventy- seven people attended public meetings, over 200 people attended open days and seven schools brought children to activity sessions. Ninety-one people contributed their opinions through semi-structured interviews and small group discussions and 259 through structured questionnaires. Over 150 people got involved in using participatory methods. Four hundred and thirty- three people contacted the office directly, and 5,700 spoke to Awel Aman Tawe members outside of the office.

ii The project was the subject of 94 pieces in the media including 17 letters from local people. Eighty local businesses and community facilities displayed posters and leaflets about the project and two local businesses put information on their website about the project and links to Awel Aman Tawe's website. Over the course of seven months there were 737 hits on the project's website. Three local people undertook projects about Awel Aman Tawe for their college work, and one local man made a video about his trip to a wind farm with Awel Aman Tawe.

Thirteen people sat on the steering group, 18 worked in paid employment for the project, 50 training courses were attended by local people, and over 300 days of voluntary time was contributed to the project during the consultation period alone.

Following nine months of consultation Awel Aman Tawe commissioned the Electoral Reform Services to administer a community referendum. Forty- eight percent of local people (4,252 people) voted either by telephone or by post (with individual security numbers to ensure no multiple voting). The results showed the community to be in favour of the idea of developing the wind farm with 57.5% voting for and 42.5% voting against.

Summary of main findings: The overall findings from the consultation process were that the majority of local residents were in favour of the project on the basis of the following conditions: • The wind farm will consist of four or five turbines and will be situated on the Mynydd Uchaf (y Gwryd) between the villages of Rhiwfawr, Cwmllynfell and Tai'rgwaith. • Anyone aged 16 and over, living in the 12 closest villages and the farms and small holdings on the mountain itself is entitled to become a member of Awel Aman Tawe at the cost of £1. • All profits from the electricity generated will be held by a charitable trust. • The charitable trust will be managed by Trustees. Residents in each village elect their own trustee. • Funding will go to projects that generate local jobs, develop community facilities and services and respond to the needs of all age groups.

The research process monitored people's opinions and sought to identify the criteria on which they based their views, and to tease out patterns of opinions. These were not straightforward. There were no major differences in the way men and women viewed the project, nor could the closeness that someone lived to the site be considered a determining factor in the opinions they held. However, the consultation did show that all age groups, both genders, and those living near and far from the site changed their opinions in favour of the wind farm over the course of the consultation.

What was noticeable though was that, certain categories of people were more likely to change their opinions. People under the age of 30 were more likely to change their opinions and with increasing age people were less likely to

iii change their opinion over the course of the consultation. Furthermore, in­ comers to the area were more likely to change their opinion. In the case of the under-30s and in-comers to the area,, change was made in favour of the idea and greater informal discussion was held with friends and families over the consultation period.

Five sets of criteria were identified that local residents used in judging the project: - the potential threat of the wind farm on local livelihoods - whether the people involved are trustworthy - the potential opportunities gained by the area from developing the wind farm - the environmental factors - the consultation process itself

Addressing these sets of criteria were a crucial part of the consultation process and discussion and debate often focused on several if not all of these aspects.

While the overall opinions moved in favour of the project over the course of the consultation, not everyone supported the idea. Objections to the project came from one village relatively close to the site. A small group of people formed a local opposition group early on within the consultation process and campaigned against the idea by undermining the project on the basis of the five sets of criteria identified above.

It would be natural to assume from the referendum results that this local opposition group had managed to substantially sway the opinions of residents in that village. However, at the very start of the consultation the majority of this village opposed the project anyway. So while it is clear that the consultation did little to encourage these residents to have confidence in the idea, it is important not to assume that it was the local opposition group that changed their opinions. The local context and past experiences of this village were key determining factors in many residents' opposition to the scheme.

Overall the findings demonstrate the value of undertaking a broad-based consultation about the proposed scheme. In particular it is worth highlighting that: - by identifying the criteria important to people, Awel Aman Tawe was able to address key concerns and feed local ideas into the scheme thereby tailoring the project to local needs. - people's opinions were formed substantially by their awareness of Renewable Energy and wind farms, by their confidence in the project's ability to provide opportunities for the area and by their own local context and informal networks.

Awel Aman Tawe addressed these issues in its PAP: • Awel Aman Tawe's PAP worked well in that the methods used facilitated information flows in a variety of directions:

iv - Downwards: straightforward information dissemination from Awel Aman Tawe to residents - Horizontal: discussion and debate between peers - Upwards: input from residents into the project.

• Awareness-raising, local benefits and recognition of the local context was integrated into the consultation.

• Local participation and involvement were emphasised. This increased the flow of information through informal networks, and supported a feeling of trust for those involved in the project.

Several methods were identified as particularly effective, although it is important to stress the need to see these as part of an overall strategy enabling information to flow in all three directions: • coach visits • leaflets to all households • use of the media • community presentations • referendum These methods were used in such a way as to enable ideas to feed in to decisions taken, or into further information disseminated etc. They formed part of a strategy for consultation rather than being isolated methods.

Conclusions drawn from the results On the basis of the findings, it is concluded that the consultation was a valuable exercise, in that: • as a result of the consultation people generally moved in favour of the project, and the referendum results showed that a majority of local people supported the idea of the wind farm; • it helped to tailor the project to the local context, and identify appropriate benefits and opportunities for the local area; • it raised awareness of the issues of Renewable Energy in general and wind farms in particular across all ages and types of people in the area.

Key issues were extracted from the main themes of the discussion:

Awareness Raising • Place an emphasis on awareness raising about issues relating to Renewable Energy and wind farms. • Make sure information is accessible, consistent, up-to-date and relevant. • Inform people about the broader context.

Local Benefit • Identify the ways in which the local area could benefit from the proposed scheme. • Plan and implement the project in such a way that local benefits are realised.

v Local context

• Recognise the importance of the local context and past experiences on people's opinions. • Recognise the importance of social networks

Local involvement

• Recognise Communities as Key Stakeholders in the development of RE: • Involving local people strengthens RE projects • Involving local people contributes towards Local Agenda 21 objectives • Involving local people could be cost effective • Plan the appropriate level of local involvement • Democratic decision-making is empowering

Opposition

• Recognise the tactics of opposition and target information accordingly. • Remember that it is usually a minority of residents that oppose Renewable Energy schemes • Acknowledge the impact of an opposition group • Stay calm and do not get defensive • Ensure that word does not get out about the proposed scheme prior to the start of the consultation

Consultation Process 1

• Think strategically • Plan and implement a consultation strategy appropriate to the proposed scheme • Utilise the three directions of information flow in the consultation process • Encourage and facilitate discussion and debate about a proposed scheme in informal as well as formal settings. • Maintain an active use of the local media • Feed local ideas into the project

1 Further guidance on developing and implementing a consultation strategy has been written up in 'Consulting Communities - a Renewable Energy toolkit' (ETSU K/BD/00236/REP/S).

vi CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...... i

1 BACKGROUND...... 1 1.1 Introduction ...... 1 1.2 Background to Awel Aman Tawe...... 3 1.3 Using local resources for local regeneration ...... 4 1.4 Capacity building - a priority for Awel Aman Tawe...... 5 1.5 Five phases of Awel Aman Tawe wind farm...... 6 1.6 Aims and Objectives of Project ...... 6 1.7 Benefits and Outputs...... 8 1.8 Structure of Awel Aman Tawe...... 9 2 PROCESS UNDERTAKEN...... 11 2.1 Stage I: April & May 2000...... 12 2.2 Stage II: June 2000 - February 2001 ...... 13 2.3 Stage III: February - March 2001...... 18 3 COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO THE PROJECT...... 21 3.1 Local context and its effect on people's opinions ...... 23 3.1.1 Local area ...... 23 3.1.2 People and social networks...... 25 3.1.3 Local experiences...... 27 3.1.4 Exposure to issues...... 29 3.2 Other processes that influenced people ’s opinions ...... 33 3.2.1 Media ...... 33 3.2.2 Local politics...... 35 3.2.3 Broader issues...... 36 3.3 Criteria on which people judge the project ...... 37 3.3.1 The potential threats of the wind farm to local livelihoods...... 37 3.3.2 Whether the people involved are trustworthy...... 40 3.3.3 Opportunities for the wind farm to benefit the local area ...... 41 3.3.4 Environmental factors...... 43 3.3.5 The consultation processitself...... 44 3.4 Patterns of Opinions: ...... 46 3.4.1 Age...... 46 3.4.2 Gender...... 48 3.4.3 Proximity to the site...... 50 3.4.4 Length of residency in the area ...... 51 3.5 Identifying conditions & influencing factors ...... 53 3.5.1 Identifying conditions for the continuation of AAT...... 53 3.5.2 Influencing factors...... 53 4. OPPOSITION TO THE PROJECT...... 57 4.1 Why Tai'rgwaith?...... 57 4.2 The Development of the Tai'rgwaith Action Group ...... 59 4.3 Opposition objections and approach:...... 59 4.3.1 Undermining the people involved in the project...... 60 4.3.2 Undermining the consultation process:...... 61

vii 4.3.3 Undermining the wind farm itself...... 62 4.3.4 Undermining the potential benefits to the area ...... 63 4.3.5 Undermining the broader issues of RE and the environment...... 63 4.4 Impact of the opposition on the consultation process: ...... 64 4.4.1 Negative impacts:...... 64 4.4.2 Positive impacts: ...... 65 5 THE CONSULTATION PROCESS...... 67 5.1 Local Participation and involvement in the project ...... 67 5.1.1 Did people participate?...... 68 5.1.2 Did the project respond to people's contribution?...... 69 5.2 The effectiveness of the methods and approaches used ...... 71 5.2.1 Awareness-raising...... 71 5.2.2 Local Base...... 71 5.2.3 Effective Methods...... 72 5.3 Constraints to the consultation ...... 76 6 SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS...... 77 Acknowledgements ...... 89 References...... 91 Glossary ...... 91 APPENDIX A: Selection of material used...... 93 A1 Structured Questionnaire: ...... 95 A2 Checklist of Questions from semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions: ...... 99 A3 Evaluation forms from the coach trips:...... 101 A4 Carno Activity sheet:...... 103 A5 Information sheets:...... 105 i) 'Who's involved in the project?’...... 105 ii) 'What consultation methods have been used?'...... 107 iii) 'Awel Aman Tawe's financial projections'...... 109 iv) 'Find out for yourself leaflet...... 111 A6 Letter to Tai'rgwaith:...... 113 A7 Ballot paper:...... 117

viii 1 BACKGROUND

1.1 Introduction The wind industry kicked off in the UK in the 1990s, spurred into action by global, European and national targets for the decrease of CO2 emissions and the generation of Renewable Energy, and facilitated by the establishment of the Non Fossil Fuel Obligation. These market incentives for Renewable Energy schemes enabled the wind industry to develop its first on-shore wind farms and reach a point at which it is felt that support is not necessarily required. With the final round of NFFO contracts agreed last year, it is a good time to identify some of the constraints to the development of further wind energy schemes.

Despite the NFFO contracts, and the UK's high wind resource, the UK wind industry is looking worryingly stagnant at the moment due to the difficulties experienced by wind farm developers at the Planning Stage (Taylor 1999). Forty-eight out of the last 49 wind farm applications in the UK have been rejected at some point during the planning application procedure. Most current wind farm applications in Wales have gone to the Planning Inspectorate at the Welsh Assembly under the Planning Appeals procedure. Wind farms are increasingly held up, called in by the Secretary of State or rejected altogether. Greater demands are placed on wind farm developers prior to the granting of planning permission. As a result, the UK government looks set to miss its interim target of 5% of all our electricity from renewables by 2003 and is currently way off its target of 10% by 2010. (NATTA 1999; Taylor 1999; Toke 2000).

Wind farms are the subject of increasing controversy across Britain which is influencing planning decisions. Vociferous and well-mobilised campaigners have established small but well-networked groups to fight against the further development of the wind industry 2. They have been particularly criticised for spreading mis-information and fuelling unnecessary fears to residents nearby proposed wind farm sites (Welsh Affairs Select Committee 1994). They have been very effective in mobilising local opinion against proposed wind farm developments. Planners are consequently feeling torn between supporting the need for national Renewable Energy targets and guarding against developments which raise clear local concerns. There have been calls to give greater guidance to local authority planners, to expose planning officers to a greater understanding of the technologies and furthermore to place a greater emphasis on the need for local authorities themselves to identify suitable Renewable Energy sites.

Integral to the Planning Process is the issue of the local community: their concerns, their involvement, their perception of the benefits and the process by which they make their opinions heard within the Planning procedure. 'It is

2 For example the Country Guardian has a membership of approximately 200, but 'BWEA indicated that 77% of recent planning applications for wind farms had been blocked by Country Guardian campaigns' (RENEW 1999)

1 now well recognised that achieving successful implementation of Renewable Energy projects needs the acceptance of the local community' (Broome 2000). An Open University conference as early as 1993 demonstrated an interest in greater emphasis on community projects in Britain, and drew on the experiences and examples from other European countries, like Denmark, Holland and Germany. Guides such as Community Involvement in Renewable Energy Projects - a Guide for Community Groups, (ETSU 1994) have been written and disseminated. But while these kinds of events, and subsequent documents and guides aim to encourage greater involvement of communities in Renewable Energy development, there are few examples in the UK of communities being involved in successful projects.

Denmark and Germany have seen a dramatic rise in the use of renewables as compared to Britain. By April 1999, 10% of Danish electricity already came from wind energy and the new Government target is for 20% by 2003. In contrast to the UK, most wind turbines are owned by local communities. Between twelve and fifteen thousand people are employed in the renewable energy industry (Krohn 2000) making it Denmark's third largest industry.

There are some striking differences in the way RE projects tend to be developed which may contribute to this disparity. The majority of RE projects in Britain, especially wind farms, are led by external developers. Wind energy has boomed in Denmark on the back of widespread community involvement. Eighty percent of wind turbines are owned at a local level by wind co-operatives or by farmers. It is a similar scenario in Germany. While there are obviously other factors to consider (such as the electricity trading arrangements, the types of subsidies and support given to those developing RE schemes, and the legal issues around the development and ownership of RE schemes) it is worth addressing this issue of community involvement (Broome L. 1999). 'In the UK to date, community participation in RE schemes has been limited and only been successful in the form of a ‘developer led venture ’'. (ETSU 1999)

'It is vital that the government and its various agencies, together with the promoters of Renewable Energy plant take urgent steps to cultivate better public understanding of the issues and to create a more favourable climate for new proposals' (House of Lords Select Committee 1999).

Creating a 'more favourable environment' at a local level requires, among other things, consideration of two key factors:

1. The level of involvement of communities in Renewable Energy schemes:

'Small-scale wind turbine projects managed by members of the community are far more easily accepted by the general public' (Langebach 1993).

TheUK RE industry can draw lessons from other European countries such as Denmark and Germany to identify structures and models for encouraging and implementing greater community involvement at a variety of levels. In

2 these countries there is far greater community involvement and less local opposition to schemes. There are essentially four different levels of community involvement in Renewable Energy schemes:

• consultation - local people can be drawn in to discuss a proposed scheme. • benefits - local communities can benefit from the scheme - financially and in other ways. • decision-making - local people can make decisions about a proposed scheme, or even to decide whether it should go ahead at all. • ownership and management - local people can either fully or part own the scheme and therefore continue to be involved in the management and decision-making.

2. Awareness-raising and consultation with local communities

RE schemes could do more to address local people ’s concerns prior to the development of individual projects. Given the still limited knowledge about RE technologies in the UK, there will continue to be substantial concerns and worries about their potential impact. With careful, strategic awareness­ raising and consultation many of these fears and questions can be addressed which may avoid the development of organised local opposition.

The objectives of Awel Aman Tawe community wind farm project are to involve local residents at all levels. In the project development phase it became clear that there exists very little practical guidance on how to work with communities regarding a renewable energy project. This gap formed the basis of the research integrated into the current project. A separate document has been written which supports developers in planning and implementing a consultation strategy for a Renewable Energy project.

1.2 Background to Awel Aman Tawe This report outlines the first of five phases of Awel Aman Tawe community wind farm project. The project itself was initiated and planned by a group of local volunteers who, with some support from local community organisation Amman Valley Enterprise (AVE), followed up a suggestion in a Local Agenda 21 meeting convened by Neath Port Talbot Council that a wind farm could have local benefits. They drew on community development expertise from the Centre for Development Studies, University of Wales, Swansea (CDS) and AVE and were advised by a number of renewable energy companies throughout the development of the project plans 3 (eighteen months). The project received grant funding of £6,500 towards project development costs. The group formally established themselves as a

3 In-kind contributions from these organisations and local community members during the project development have been valued at £23,675, based on Heritage Lottery Fund guidance.

3 Company Limited by Guarantee (set up by the Wales Co-op Centre) and went on to raise further funds 4 to implement Phase I of the project. The overall aim of Awel Aman Tawe is to develop a small community- owned and managed wind farm, which will act as a major community asset to support a programme of local regeneration. The potential site, Mynydd Uchaf, is a mountain common to approximately 14 villages in the upper Amman and upper Swansea Valleys. According to available wind speed data, a community-owned wind arm would be viable 5. An integral part of the planned wind farm is an environmental education centre - a resource for tourists and school groups.

By selling the electricity from the wind farm Awel Aman Tawe aims to generate sustainable funding to: • assist in the regeneration of the local area through funding local community and small business initiatives; and to • assist in the implementation of Agenda 21 objectives.

Given the project's fundamental aims of contributing towards social, economic as well as environmental sustainability, it is in a good position to attract funding from various donors committed to sustainable development, including Objective One European funding for area regeneration. By raising substantial amounts, if not all, of the costs of construction of the wind farm, the scheme would be in a position to plough the profits 6 from the sale of the electricity into the local area.

1.3 Using local resources for local regeneration Awel Aman Tawe aims to use local resources to support local regeneration. Essentially, there are three components to its contribution to community regeneration: • Development of a community-owned wind farm channeling profits from the sale of electricity into community and small business initiatives. • Establishment of an environmental education centre attracting school groups and tourists. • Implementation of a process of capacity building within the local area during the 5-year project period, particularly in aspects relating to sustainable development.

Awel Aman Tawe recognises its potential to contribute to local sustainable regeneration in five different sectors:

4 Funding for Phase I was raised from DTI New and Renewable Energy programme, Welsh Development Agency Environmental Goods and Services Programme, Princes Trust Cymru, ShellBetter Britain Campaign, Jigso, Welsh Language Board and Hyder. 5 National Windpower carried out 6 months of wind speed testing in 1997, the results of which suggested that the site would be viable for a wind farm. At an informal meeting with National Windpower the viability was confirmed for a community-owned model. National Windpower data showed that the wind speed was 7.1 m/s. This data has now been donated to Awel Aman Tawe. 6 Potential profits from the sale of electricity have been calculated at between £180-380,000 per year. This is based on figures for a wind farm of 4-5 turbines and with a selling price of electricity of 3-5p per unit.

4 Financial - Profits from the sale of electricity invested in the local community. External funding for 5-year project spent locally for personnel, equipment and services. Opportunities for local business growth through attraction of tourists. Infrastructure - Two major community assets - a wind farm and an environmental education centre. Natural Resources - Valuable use of local sustainable resources. Social - Facilitation of community decision-making and ownership. Support to community initiatives through the distribution of funds. Support a feeling of pride in the area. Individual - Training, local employment, education and awareness-raising about renewable energy and energy efficiency.

1.4 Capacity building - a priority for Awel Aman Tawe. It is recognised that the skills developed within the course of the five year project are a long-term contribution to the regeneration of the local area. In undertaking the social, technical, legal and financial requirements of developing a wind farm Awel Aman Tawe aims to involve local residents, draw in opportunities for the area and build on local strengths. Four areas of capacity building are integrated into the project:

1) Developing skills, training and enhancing local employment prospects . All stages of the project allocate time and resources to training local people to carry out project activities. 2) Investing in local activities, businesses and community initiatives. Recognising the wealth of local knowledge, skills and experiences, the project aims to support a process of investment in our communities. All equipment, employment and contractors are sourced locally as far as possible. The development of a Charitable Trust to oversee the spending of the profits from the wind farm ensures that sustainable funding will be ploughed into community initiatives. 3) Focusing on environmental education and utilising natural resources. The project aims to support a process of sustainable energy use and greater awareness of the links between local energy consumption and global environmental impact. In particular, harnessing local sustainable resources will be complimented with an energy efficiency programme. 4) Community consultation, decision-making and the development of democratically managed community businesses . This has several strands: training and employing local people in consultation methods & facilitation of discussion, analysis and debate; encouraging greater participation, involvement and confidence throughout the area in collective ownership of local resources; drawing on individuals' strengths, knowledge and experiences to encourage and develop a diverse range of skills and opportunities in the area; increasing local confidence in the area's ability to create a pioneering project.

5 1.5 Five phases of Awel Aman Tawe wind farm The five phases of the wind farm project are planned to ensure that the social components integrate appropriately with the environmental, financial and technical factors. This ensures that the project is tailored to the needs of local people.

Phase Activities Time Requirement for required continuation into next Phase I Participatory Assessment 1 year Community approval. Process regarding wind farm. Sufficient wind speed. Additional wind speed testing. II Participatory Planning 12-18 Community Business process. months plan. Environmental Impact Successful Planning Assessment. Application. Detailed Business Plan. Planning Application. III Raising necessary finance for 1 year Sufficient finance construction of turbines. raised. IV Construction of wind farm. 1 year Wind farm constructed. V Implementation of 6 months appropriate model (as identified in Phase II) for channeling profits into local regeneration.

1.6 Aims and Objectives of Project This report documents the Participatory Assessment Process (PAP) undertaken. Essentially Awel Aman Tawe planned this project in such a way as to ensure that lessons could be learnt at a broader level in the development and implementation of a consultation strategy as part of a Renewable Energy scheme.

The overall aim was to: Develop and test a range of methods for a PAP in a large community on the subject of a Renewable Energy project in the area. Furthermore, to extract lessons regarding the methods and approaches undertaken.

The specific objectives were to: 1. To identify and shape appropriate tools, methods and approaches for undertaking a fair community assessment process regarding a Renewable Energy project in the locality.

6 2. To conduct an in-depth (10 month) community consultation and assessment process for a proposed wind farm 3. To assess the methods and approaches used in the community consultation and assessment process for their efficiency and value to other developers and community groups. 4. To write up and disseminate the findings regarding the most valuable, efficient and appropriate methods and approaches undertaken.

In order to fulfill these objectives Awel Aman Tawe identified two separate but integrated processes which had distinct aims and activities:

A: Community assessment: Purpose: • To explore the criteria on which people base their decision of whether they want to pursue the community wind farm idea or not. • To support the participation of local people in making the decision as to whether the project should go ahead.

Process: • To disseminate information using a range of methods. • To establish a process by which residents can discuss the idea. • To establish people's criteria on which they base their decision. • To facilitate a community decision-making process.

B: Research into RE consultation: Purpose: • To assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the consultation in supporting community involvement in RE projects in general. • To monitor how different criteria affect people's decisions • To monitor how people's opinions change over the period of consultation. • To identify useful lessons learnt that can be disseminated to other communities and developers Process: • To document and analyse the community assessment process above. • To undertake structured interviews at the start and end of the consultation in order to monitor and assess any changes in people's opinions. • To undertake a range of focus groups and semi-structured interviews to provide qualitative data on people's decisions and criteria for assessment. • To assess the value of the different methods used. • To extract and document relevant lessons about the process ready for dissemination to other communities and developers.

The research issues, information needs and process of data collection to meet these are shown in Figure 1 overleaf.

7 Research issues Information to be collected Sources of information

Dissemination of • Process of information • Project progress diary. information to dissemination. • Contact database. the community. • Efficiency of information • Media. distribution (logistics, constraints, • Structured interviews. ease of implementation). • Events minutes. • Effectiveness of information • Ballot. distribution.

Structure for • Number and category of people • Project progress diary. community actively getting involved. • contact database. involvement. • How effective the structure is for • evaluation forms. involving people. • events minutes.

Criteria on • List of key criteria. • events minutes. which people • Emphasis placed on different • focus groups. judge the project. criteria (desegregated). • semi-structured • Importance of local ownership. interviews. • structured interviews. • evaluation forms.

If people's • Have people's opinions changed? • focus groups. opinions have (type of person/ in what way have • semi-structured changed over the they changed their opinions). interviews. course of the • What caused their opinions to • structured interviews. consultation. change? • evaluation forms.

Should the wind • Number of people in support of • Ballot. farm go ahead? the project. • All other consultation • Conditions on which people data will go towards an support the project. understanding of the conditions on which people base their opinion.

Figure 1 Key research issues, information needs and process of data collection

1.7 Benefits and Outputs Awel Aman Tawe identified four key areas of benefit from the PAP:

At a local level:

8 1. Support the local community to make a decision regarding the development of a RE project.

2. Enhance the knowledge, experience and capacity of the local community with regards RE and broad community assessment. 3. Develop the capacity of individuals through training, volunteering and recruitment within the project.

At a broader level: 4. Contribute to best practice in terms of community involvement in Renewable Energy schemes. By extracting lessons about local ownership, community benefits and broad consultation, it aims to provide support for Renewable Energy developers in how to work with communities.

Specific outputs are: • 'Consulting Communities - a Renewable Energy toolkit' (ETSU K/BD/0023 6/REP/S). • 'Examining Approaches to Renewables Consultation. Lessons from Awel Aman Tawe community wind farm project' - i.e. this report. • Several articles, papers, presentations and lectures targeted at those in the RE industry at a variety of levels.

1.8 Structure of Awel Aman Tawe Legal structure of the group: Awel Aman Tawe. was set up as a company limited by guarantee. It was established (with the advice and expertise of the Wales Co-op Centre) in such a way that anyone in the community can become a member.

Partnerships: Awel Aman Tawe works in partnership with three organisations drawing in expertise from a variety of sources: 1) Amman Valley Enterprise: a local well-respected community based organisation which has experience in developing and maintaining small community businesses; 2) Centre for Development Studies, University of Wales, Swansea: a research, teaching and consultancy centre with particular experience in social development, and participatory approaches. 3) West Wales Eco Centre: a centre with experience particularly in working with communities on issues relating to environmental concerns

It also maintains close links with many other public, private and community organisations. Development of the environmental education centre is being planned in partnership with AVE, Cymoedd Environmental Network and Fforestwr Community Business.

Steering Group: The steering group is composed of 13 men and women drawn from a range of age groups, villages and bring diverse expertise and knowledge. They meet monthly and oversee the running of the project. All the partners are represented on the steering group

9 Staff and volunteers : Two part-time co-ordinators were employed to manage the project: a project co-ordinator (employed as a consultant) and a research co-ordinator (seconded from the Centre for Development Studies). Throughout the year 18 local people were employed to carry out consultation activities and overall local people completed 50 courses with support from Awel Aman Tawe. Over 300 days were contributed by volunteers over the course of the project, getting involved in a variety of activities from office administration to research, managing and representing the project at events, leafleting, RE advice.

Accountability and financial management : Project staff and steering group were accountable to donors. A progress report and financial statement were produced monthly and circulated widely.

Base: The office was established in a central local base. Throughout the project it was open 9am - 5.30 p.m. five days a week and covered by local staff.

10 2 PROCESS UNDERTAKEN

In order to implement the objectives of the project, it was divided into three stages. The first stage (2 months) included the establishment of the project base and research design, gathered baseline information, and disseminated a small amount of information about the project. The second stage (9 months) consisted of the main body of the consultation in which a large range of methods were used and monitored. Within this time, the project developed a clearer understanding of the key criteria on which people judged the project. This helped to tailor further information and to define the conditions on which the wind farm should go ahead. The third and final stage included a second round of interviews to test whether opinions had changed; and the administration of a community referendum to decide whether the project should go ahead. Further limited consultation and information dissemination was carried out during this period and the preparation of the outputs from the project was undertaken.

Throughout the process various aspects were monitored: 1) The criteria that people used the judge the idea of a community wind farm. 2) Whether there were any patterns that determined what people would think of the idea. 3) Factors that influenced or supported people in forming an opinion of the wind farm. 4) The effectiveness and efficiency of the methods themselves.

These were monitored and reviewed regularly in order to ensure that information disseminated was appropriate and that systems could monitor emerging patterns. As an example, it became apparent through the course of the consultation that social networks were playing a large role in the dissemination of information about the project and in the evaluation by local people of the idea. Therefore, the second round of structured questionnaires included several questions as to whether people had spoken to their friends, families or colleagues about the project.

The process as a whole followed a pattern of • broad information dissemination. • facilitation of discussion, further information dissemination & identification of key criteria (an iterative process throughout the consultation period). • organisation of decision-making process drawing ideas and conditions from the consultation.

The following sections detail what activities were carried out throughout the project:

11 2.1 Stage I: April & May 2000 Local base established. An office was established in a central location - an annex of a local primary school. Equipment (computers, telephones, fax, email etc.) was installed. A sign was prepared and erected. A small informational resource was established with a cataloguing system. A mobile display panel was developed. An A5 leaflet was produced about the project. The office was prepared such that it could be open to the public 5 days a week during office hours.

Monitoring systems established. These included a project progress diary, a press cuttings file, contact book, a minutes and events file, a comments book (for people ’s comments at displays and events). Evaluation forms were designed. The SPSS computer programme 7 was installed on the computer to analyse the data collected during the structured interviews and Front Page web site maintenance programme was installed.

Training: Two local people undertook a course at the Centre for Development Studies in the use of Participatory Methods (PM). They followed up the course by using the methods in a 3 day assessment of local strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats with 15 other trainees in PM. Eight local people were trained in carrying out structured questionnaires in a course specifically designed for Awel Aman Tawe by the University of Wales Swansea, Research Development Support Unit. Three local people undertook an 8-week course in writing HTML and website design. Three Awel Aman Tawe staff continued a course in Welsh language.

Research design: Key research issues and information needs were identified. These are documented in Figure 1 in section 1.6.

Press coverage. Ten articles and 3 letters were written in the local press. Also Awel Aman Tawe featured in 1 TV and 1 radio programme.

Community group audit. An audit was undertaken of all the community and special interest groups in the area. Just over 60 were identified, contacted and added to a database.

Structured interviews part one. The questionnaire for the structured interviews was designed and piloted (see Appendix A). It asked people for their opinions on wind farms, community ownership and if they felt the area could gain or lose from developing a community wind farm among other things. The random sample was identified using the electoral registers within the three local authorities. Questionnaires were carried out with 259 people throughout the area. Results were analysed to provide the baseline data for people ’s opinions of wind farms which informed the consultation. In particular, a stronger emphasis was placed on awareness-raising and information dissemination.

7 SPSS is a software package used to undertake social science research

12 Reports, Papers, Events: Three Awel Aman Tawe members attended the NATTA conference on Local Renewables and gave a presentation on Awel Aman Tawe’s plans and objectives for the year. This was subsequently printed in full in the NATTA conference report. Two Awel Aman Tawe members contributed to the CDS participatory appraisal presentation held in the local area to which over 50 people attended. Six Awel Aman Tawe members attended the Valleys Forest BioCluster event with a display about Awel Aman Tawe. Two Awel Aman Tawe members attended the Countryside Agency ’s event on Community Based RE in Birmingham.

Project Report: Research report Stage I.

Other: letters were sent to Celtic Energy (the landowners) and Commoners Association (commoners have rights over the land). A further meeting was held with Celtic Energy.

Contacts with people : 38 people contacted the office; between 700-800 people were contacted outside the office about the project.

2.2 Stage II: June 2000 - February 2001 This period covered 9 months of consultation which included information dissemination, and facilitation of discussion and debate. These were aimed at supporting the process of identifying the main criteria on which people judged the project and on defining the conditions on which it should go ahead. The consultation was carried out in Welsh and English.

Office: the office was opened 5 days a week and provided a contact point for people with queries. Over the course of the 9 months 315 local individuals made new contact with the office. Approximately 5,700 people were spoken to directly about the project outside of the office. Materials were produced in the office and consultation methods designed. Local resources and services were utilised for practically everything over the course of the year.

Bi-lingual leaflets: A3 leaflets with an overview of the project were delivered by hand to 6,372 households in 14 villages. Further to this, leaflets were distributed to households notifying them of forthcoming public meetings and open days. There were some problems encountered with distributing the leaflets by hand, and preference would be given to distribution by the Post Office.

Leaflet Packs & posters : packs were situated in 80 shops and community spaces.

Displays: ten permanent displays were put up in public spaces, in libraries, community centres, adult education centres, clubs and schools. The mobile display was used at 11 non-AAT events (Garnant festival, Pontardawe festival, National Eisteddfod, AVE Women's celebration, Swansea Ecofest, Sustainable Wales conference, NASEG meeting, Community based RE conference, Carmarthenshire, lifelong learning event, Centre for Sustainable Energy birthday conference, Centre for Development Studies seminar

13 series). A further display was developed showing panoramic views from the proposed site and detailing locations with distances.

Videos: a simple bi-lingual video was made for showing at presentations of the views from the proposed site. A member of the community made a further video on his visit to Taff Ely with Awel Aman Tawe and one of the schools. S4C Digidol made a documentary video about Awel Aman Tawe.. These were all shown at various events. A series of videos was collected for showing - National Wind Power - Living near a wind farm; The wind; Yr Byd ar Bedwar; Open University RE videos.

Website:.(www.awelamantawe.co.uk ) a bi-lingual website was developed and maintained, containing information about the project, links to other relevant websites and a comments page for people to record what they think of the project. A hit counter was added to the website in October and recorded 547 people entering Awel Aman Tawe's website in five months.

Development of Information Resource: research was carried out into residents' queries & a small resource of documents, books and information sheets developed. Particular areas that were researched were: Impact on house prices; Impact on birds; Possible complications with regard to epilepsy; Referenda and 100% household surveys; Flicker from turbines; Danger of blades falling off turbines; Danger from electro-magnetic radiation; Effect on sheep, cattle and horses; Effect on television reception.

Information sheets were developed responding to particular queries: Who's involved in the project?'; 'What consultation methods have been used?'; 'Awel Aman Tawe's financial projections' ;'List of common queries about Awel Aman Tawe and answers'; 'Find out for yourself leaflet detailing telephone numbers of independent organisations' contact details; Briefing pack for Awel Aman Tawe staff; financial statements. (Some of these are included in Appendix A)

Photomontages: three photomontages were developed showing images of what the turbines could look like from three close villages: Cwmllynfell, Tai'rgwaith and Brynamman.

Badges & postcards. Ragdoll productions printed a run of 2000 postcards of 'Teletubbies in front of their windmill' at cost price for Awel Aman Tawe. 1000 badges saying 'I V windfarms. www.awelamantawe.co.uk' were produced. Both the badges and postcards were given out at events.

Coach trips to wind farms: 265 people came on eight coach trips to visit a wind farm (Carno and Taff Ely) where they met people who live by the wind farm, had a presentation about Awel Aman Tawe and had their questions answered by a RE engineer. Trips were scheduled roughly every month. Those that came on the trips ranged from four to 80 years old, from all villages, and were mostly people who were open-minded about the project, although some were negative and others positive. Evaluation forms were

14 given out at the end of each coach trip. One coach visit also visited the Centre for Alternative Technology.

Visits: visits were carried out to the seven farms on the mountain closest to the proposed site to explain and discuss the proposed idea. Also all businesses in the area were visited to talk about the project.

Community groups: Following the audit of all community groups in the area, groups were sent information and updates on project activities throughout the year. All groups were offered to have a presentation about the project. Thirteen presentations were given at groups' meeting places (Women's Environmental Network, Gwaun Cae Gurwen Community Council, Cymllynfell Old Age, Ystradowen Day Centre, Commoners Association committee, British Trust for Conservation Volunteers, Probus Club, Quarter Bach Community Council, Cwmllynfell/Rhiwfawr Community Council, Cwmaman Mother's Union, Cwmgors Merched o Wawr, Brynamn Women's Institute, Cwmaman Women's Institute). One presentation was given at Awel Aman Tawe office which was attended by 40 people, including the representatives of 17 groups.

Public meetings: Seven public meetings were held in community halls in Tai'rgwaith, Rhiwfawr, Cwmllynfell, Upper Brynamman, Lower Brynamman, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Cwmgors. Meetings were publicised by leafleting each house in the area. Later public meetings were also advertised in the local press. Public meetings included an OHP presentation on the project, a presentation of renewable energy issues by an engineer, and a question/answer session. Material on renewable energy issues, environmental issues and Awel Aman Tawe project was available for people to take away. Participants were asked to fill in evaluation forms. A further two public meetings, organised by the Tai'rgwaith Action Group, were attended by Awel Aman Tawe staff who gave a presentation and answered questions.

In-depth interviews: Eight people received training in carrying out in-depth interviews. Thirty-eight interviews (mostly between 60-90 minutes long) were carried out with people who are pro and anti the project in Welsh or English as requested by the interviewee. The interviews explored people's awareness of renewable energy and enabled a fuller understanding of people's hopes and concerns with regard to the project (see attached list of issues for discussion in Appendix A).

Small group discussions: Nine small group discussions were facilitated. These covered similar themes as the in-depth interviews but focused more specifically on the issues of concern to those participating. The groups convened were: residents from Tai'rgwaith, residents from Cwmllynfell, People who use the mountain for recreation, farms and smallholdings on the mountain, parents of school-aged children, men over 65, women over 65, women under 20, people interested in environmental issues. In order to identify people for the groups, appropriate organisations were contacted, groups were advertised in the local press, individual farms and smallholdings

15 contacted, all parents were given a leaflet via the schools, and individuals that had expressed an interest in the project were contacted.

Public events and conferences: Eleven events and conferences were attended: Garnant festival, Pontardawe festival, National Eisteddfod, AVE Women's celebration, Swansea Ecofest, Sustainable Wales conference, NASEG meeting, Community based RE conference, Carmarthenshire, lifelong learning event, Centre for Sustainable Energy birthday conference, Centre for Development Studies seminar series.

Open Days: Five Open Days were held in the closest villages to the proposed site: Rhiwfawr, Cwmllynfell, Tai'rgwaith, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, and Brynamman. Various organisations also had displays up at the open days: Cymoedd Environmental Network, West Wales Eco Centre, Brynamman Heritage Society and University of Wales Swansea. The open days had displays, presentations, videos, refreshments, activities for children, information sheets to take away and members of the steering group present.

Participatory Methods: a range of participatory methods were used including mapping, timelines, Venn diagrams (to look at institutions involved and appropriate partnerships), SWOT analyses, brainstorming conditions for the wind farm. These were carried out during three Open Days, which were attended by over 200 people.

Training: local people completed 50 courses with support from Awel Aman Tawe. Training providers included Carmarthenshire Lifelong Learning Fund, Amman Valley Enterprise, Awel Aman Tawe and the University of Wales. Fifteen different courses have been followed. The courses included structured and semi-structured interviewing skills, facilitation of small group discussions, strategic planning, fundraising, website design, and Welsh.

Links to Education:

Welsh and English education worksheets. The English education packs developed by Border Wind were distributed to 15 schools in the local area. Awel Aman Tawe developed bi-lingual activity sheets for children coming on coach visits and to open days (see Appendix A). Seven schools in the local area took up the offer of presentations and/or trips to a wind farm for their pupils during the course of the consultation.

Various people approached Awel Aman Tawe wanting to make the project the subject of their studies:

HNC/D in Countryside Management A member of the community chose Awel Aman Tawe as the subject for her project (Brynamman and Awel Aman Tawe wind farm project). She received a Merit. B.Sc. Rural Environment: A member of the community (who subsequently joined the steering group) chose to do her dissertation on Awel Aman Tawe and its links to sustainable development. She spent a year working alongside Awel Aman Tawe. She carried out a series of group discussions and

16 questionnaires looking particularly at how local people felt the wind farm could contribute to local sustainable development. University of Wales Aberystwyth, Joint Hons geography & media studies: A member of the community contacted the office for more information to help him in his project on public attitudes to wind farms. Imperial College. A member of the community contacted the office for more information to support research into attitudes and policy issues about wind farms in Wales. Cwmtawe Comprehensive, Physics class A pupil at a local comprehensive requested more information for a physics project into Renewable Energy. Local primary schools: four local primary schools requested information for specific projects on the local area and on Renewable Energy. Strathclyde University, MSc in Energy Systems. A student requested more information to support a project on a local village working towards 100% Renewable Energy. London College of Printing: A photography student chose to make Awel Aman Tawe the subject of her college project. She visited the area for two days to take photographs. Computer skills. A local resident used information from Awel Aman Tawe on which to base her computer skills project. Centre for Development Studies Short courses in Participatory Approaches and Natural Resource Management: three groups of students from CDS UWS visited the project and local area as part of their studies. MSc Research Methods assessed practical placement: Awel Aman Tawe hosted a placement in Research Methods from the CDS UWS. She worked with Awel Aman Tawe for ten days over the course of a term with the project and wrote a report documenting and analysing the evaluation forms and minutes from public meetings to help identify key themes and pull out issues.

Course convenors at a number of education institutions contacted Awel Aman Tawe to give a presentation to staff and students: MSc Renewable Energy course, IESD, De Montfort University at Leicester. Students and staff in Renewable Energy and Planning Centre for Development Studies, University of Wales Swansea . Staff and students in social and community development MSc Renewable Energy, University of Reading . Staff and students in RE engineering.

Other: • Various meetings were held regarding future funding possibilities, particularly Objective One. • Presentations were given to the local MP and to the local AM. • Various meetings were held regarding the development of the business plan in Phase II. • Site mapping was carried out to calculate the exact distances from the proposed site to the villages nearby. • A public meeting in Merthyr for a NWP wind farm was attended. • Various funding applications were made, some of which were successful (for further funding for the referendum).

17 • Four community groups contacted the office for advice on developing a community RE project. Project document: An interim report was written mid-way through the project called: Supporting Regeneration via a Community Wind Farm Project.

Presentations outside local area: Awel Aman Tawe gave presentations to various groups: • National Assembly Sustainable Energy Group (NASEG) • Centre for Sustainable Energy conference • Neath Port Talbot Council Planning and Economic Development officers

Papers and articles: Various articles were written for journals and magazines • 'Whistling in the Wind: the role of communities in RE development' printed in NATTA Local Renewables conference report 2000, and reprinted in RENEW September 2000 • 'Power to the People: Community-led wind energy - obstacles and opportunities in a South Wales Valley' Community Development Journal Volume 36, No. 2, April 2001 • 'Blowing hot and cold. Promoting Renewable Energy in the real world' EG magazine Vol.6 No.9 October 2000 • 'Community Energy - Experiences from a South Wales wind farm project (Awel Aman Tawe)' posted on DFID's website www.livelihoods.org • 'Community funded wind power - the missing link in UK wind farm development?' Wind Engineering Vol. 24 No 4 2000

Press coverage: 61 articles and letters by or about Awel Aman Tawe were published in the local press. Also, one television item and two radio items were broadcast. The Radio 4 series, Changing Places, made a thirty-minute programme about Awel Aman Tawe. A national newspaper, The Guardian, published an article about the project as did a national Welsh magazine, Golwg. S4C Digidol made a documentary about the project.

Development of the Tai'rgwaith Action Group: By the third month of the project it was apparent that there was distinct opposition in one village, Tai'rgwaith. Individuals came together to write letters to the paper and form a petition. They established themselves as the Tai'rgwaith Action Group in August and contacted the local AM, wrote letters of complaint to the DTI, county councilors and to the press. They also held meetings with a number of councilors and the local MP. They documented (either written, audio or video) many meetings with Awel Aman Tawe, either private or public. They requested and received detailed information and reports. They organised two public meetings in Tai'rgwaith and GCG at which a majority of attendees supported them.

2.3 Stage III: February - March 2001 Structured Interviews: The questions used in the first set of interviews were retained but additional questions added mainly to assess people's opinions of

18 the consultation (see appendix A). A second set of interviews was carried out with the same people that had responded to the first set of questions. 167 questionnaires were carried out, 17 people had moved or died, 75 refused to be interviewed or couldn't be contacted. An analysis was carried out on the data to assess people's opinions of Awel Aman Tawe, wind farms in general and issues of community ownership.

Referendum: A community referendum was held to determine whether or not the project should go ahead into the second phase. This included:

• Development of bi-lingual Ballot Papers: these were drawn up with advice from the Electoral Reform Services, and the conditions were agreed within the steering group following the consultation process. • Collation of electorate : the electoral registers were obtained from the three relevant local authorities. The steering group decided that all residents aged 16 and over should be eligible to vote. This required the registration of 16 year olds (who are not on the electoral register). A registration process took place for all 16 year olds and all those not on the electoral register. All schools and youth clubs and community groups were contacted with registration forms and press releases sent to and printed by all local papers. Posters were also put up to advertise the registration process. In total 11 people registered with the Electoral Reform Services. • Publicity for the vote: two additional displays were put up in local pubs. A2 posters were printed up showing the three photomontages and encouraging people to use their vote. 100 posters were put up throughout the area in key community spaces. • Management of the referendum: the Electoral Reform Services were commissioned to administer the referendum. In total 8,810 ballot papers were distributed. The voting period was three weeks in which people were given the option to vote by post or by telephone (using individual security numbers to avoid multiple voting). 4,252 people voted making the total turnout 48.26%. The results of the referendum were broken down by ward and by whether people voted in Welsh or in English and are shown in Figure 2.

As a result of the positive outcome of the referendum, the project will be going through to Phase II.

Press coverage: Nineteen pieces were printed in the local papers about the project. Five pieces were broadcast on the radio about the project and three on television - one of these a documentary with young people called Lwsh.

Development of Outputs: Much of the quantitative analysis was ongoing throughout the project, but key issues and themes were drawn out more clearly at the end. The two main outputs of the project (the consultation guide and final report) were developed during this final stage.

19 AWEL AMAN TAWE REFERENDUM - SUMMARY OF VOTING PER VILLAGE

Result of Voting; Number of ballot papers distributed: 8,810 Total number of papers to be counted: 4,246 Total Turnout: 48.26%

Overall Result: Yes 57.47% No 42.53%

Village Distance Electoral County Votes Votes from site Roll for against (metres) Gwrhyd various NT5 Neath Port 73% 27% Farms and Talbot Houses Rhiwfawr 1300 NI2 Neath Port 58% 42% Talbot Cwmllynfell 1800 NI1 Neath Port 63% 37% Talbot Tairgwaith 1815 NN1 Neath Port 22% 78% Talbot Ystradowen 1962 FU Carmarthenshire 64% 36% Cwmtwrch 2125 BASG1 Powys 61% 39% Uchaf Cefnbrynbrain 2190 FT Carmarthenshire 58% 42% Rhosaman 2778 FT Carmarthenshire 58% 42% Cwmgors 3182 NM2 Neath Port 61% 39% Talbot GCG 3314 NM1 Neath Port 50% 50% Talbot Cwmtwrch 3522 NZ1 + Neath Port 59% 41% Isaf BASE1 Talbot/Powys Lower 3650 NN2 Neath Port 59% 41% Brynaman Talbot Upper 3739 FS + FV Carmarthenshire 63% 37% Brynaman Garnant 5723 EF+EG Carmarthenshire 63% 37%

Figure 2 Referendum results broken down by village

20 3 COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO THE PROJECT

There are many factors that contribute to people ’s opinions of a new idea. The idea is not considered in isolation from the background of issues and relationships. It runs along existing social fault-lines and is compared to existing issues and problems. Although there were some expectations as to what criteria people would use to judge the idea prior to the start of the project, it became apparent as the consultation progressed that there was a whole range of factors that came into play.

Overall local residents supported the idea of developing a community-owned wind farm in the area. This section looks particularly at the factors that influenced people's opinions, understanding and acceptance of the idea of a community wind farm. It outlines the key criteria on which local people judged the project and teases out some of the patterns that emerged as to different people's opinions and whether their opinions were affected by the consultation.

It became clear during the consultation that one of the major factors that influenced people's opinions of the project was the local context - the area itself, social networks, local experiences and local exposure to Renewable Energy issues. This is illustrated particularly well in an examination of the development of an opposition group in one village (see section 4). Other processes that affected people's opinions were the local media, local politics and broader issues such as the weather, national news stories like the fuel crisis, and national coverage of Renewable Energy schemes.

These factors were a background into which Awel Aman Tawe presented the idea of the project. In other words they were the starting point, the complex web of relationships and processes, boundaries and influences. These were aspects that the project needed to understand in order to tailor the consultation process, they were influences that could not be underestimated or ignored.

When presented with the idea of the wind farm, most residents assessed it on the basis of five sets of criteria: - the potential threat of the wind farm on local livelihoods - whether the people involved are trustworthy - opportunities for the wind farm to benefit the local area - the environmental factors - the consultation process itself

First and foremost was the anxiety expressed regarding the potential threat to the area and local livelihoods as a result of the wind farm. In many respects this was the determining criterion. In general, where residents were not reassured of this concern, they were equally sceptical of the other four sets of issues. These sets of criteria were discussed throughout the consultation to a greater or lesser degree. Through these discussions key conditions for the continuation of the project were identified.

21 Reproduced from Ordnance Survey Outdoor Leisure 12, Brecon Beacons National Park, West & Central Areas, 1-25,000 © Crown Copyright All rights reserved. Licence No 100018949.

Figure 3 Map showing consultation area

22 Several patterns emerged showing that certain types of people were more likely to respond to the consultation and change their opinions more dramatically. However, three factors were noted as being particularly important and influential within the consultation process.

- The level of awareness of Renewable Energy and exposure to wind farms in particular. In many respects, by raising the awareness about Renewable Energy issues and wind farms, the worry about the threat to the local area was distinctly diminished. - The level of benefit potentially gained by the community itself. This was a deciding factor for many people. - The local context, including social networks and experiences in the past. This significantly influenced people's opinions about the project in both positive and negative ways.

3.1 Local context and its effect on people’s opinions

3.1.1 Local area The consultation area is identified in Figure 3 overleaf 8 . It consists of the villages surrounding the mountain - Mynydd Uchaf (y Gwrhyd) - of the proposed site.

Up to the early 1980s, this area boasted a high level of employment and a broad range of facilities. Communities fostered a strong sense of belonging and pride. Further to the traditional cattle and sheep farming, the coal mining industry became the major employer over the past 150 years, giving rise to thriving communities. Later still, large factories moved in generating further jobs for local people. However, the area was recently assessed to be among the most deprived in Europe (Objective One) and according to current deprivation indicators the ‘Upper Amman and Swansea Valleys are among the poorest, sickest and most deprived areas of Britain ’ (South Wales Guardian [SWG] 31/8/2000). The demise of the coal mining industry, recent factory closures and the current farming crisis, among other economic shocks have depleted people ’s assets and left communities vulnerable to poverty. Policy change and revision of government subsidies to farmers have forced them to seek other employment to supplement their income. Despite the identification of the area as LFA (Less Favoured Area) farmers are struggling to maintain a livelihood. 'Three out of four farms in Wales are sold to non-farmers' (Western Mail [WM] 6/6/00).

The declining job market and the precarious employment opportunities that remain result in financial insecurity. ‘There is a black hole in financial support which is holding back indigenous business growth ’ (Institute for Welsh Affairs [IWA], South Wales Evening Post [SWEP] 19/7/00). Furthermore, small businesses in the area ‘are going bankrupt because big businesses are taking so long to pay their bills’ (Federation for Small Businesses SWEP 3/6/200). With the economic decline of the area, services

8 Map used is Ordnance Survey Outdoor Leisure 12, Brecon Beacons National Park, West & Central Areas, 1-25,000.

23 and facilities are gradually withdrawing to larger towns. IWA highlights the ‘decline and closure of small rural schools...and other services like post offices, banks, bus stops and computer link-ups ’ (SWEP 12/5/00). Concerning the recent closure of Barclays Bank in the area Sir Peter Middleton, Chairman of Barclays said “we do not close branches to annoy our customers or to irritate them but because the world is changing. It is a trend we are following ’ (SWG 8/5/00). This leaves deteriorating infrastructure - (‘many [of these] communities are geographically isolated and not attractive to current major employers due to lack of infrastructure ’ Welsh Assembly’s Communities First campaign SWEP 24/6/00); running down of facilities - (e.g. Garnant Day Centre kitchen, Alzheimer’s Disease Centre, Brynamman swimming pool); and fragile communities in which residents deprived of access to facilities face increasing marginalisation and isolation. ‘The number of people committing suicide (in the area) has increased ’ (Iechyd Morgannwg Health SWEP 12/7/00). This social disintegration and exclusion threatens community identity and way of life. ’When the industry left, it ripped the heart out (of the Valleys) ’ (School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, Western Mail [WM] 26/8/00).

Declining public transport services and limited childcare facilities severely restrict people's ability to take advantage of employment opportunities further afield. Many people ‘living in isolated communities like the Amman Valley..may already be in the poverty trap. They may have families to clothe and feed, a mortgage to pay off and debts to settle for the ‘privilege ’ of owning a motor car (which they) must rely on to travel to work every day ’ (letter to SWG 13/4/00).

The landscape bears the legacy of mining, where local natural resources have been extracted for national and private profit. The consequent damage to rivers, mountains and hedgerows is evident throughout the area. Continuing opencast coal extraction and a controversial landfill site in the area gives residents concern about health and ‘thundering lorries ’ through the villages (SWG 11/5/00).

The demise in the area has affected many people's opinions of the project. There is a sense of despair among many at the gradual loss of livelihood opportunities. This is reflected in comments like 'I used to be proud of this area' (female 55) and 'of course kids are leaving - what have we got to make them want to stay?' (male 68). Perhaps the most noticeable reflection of this feeling in the area is the high proportion of respondents in the structured questionnaires (over 70%) saying that they think the area has nothing to lose from developing a community wind farm.

The chance for the wind farm to give financial support to community projects was felt by many to be a vital component to the project, and a high importance has been placed by many on the levels of potential profits that could come back into the community. 'Nothing to lose but everything to gain' (male 65); 'there's nothing here to lose' (female 18).

24 However, this view is not shared by all. The potential visual intrusion is a key concern that has been debated by many. Some feel that the look of the turbines could spoil their views of the mountain, while others feel that as an area with a strong industrial history the wind farm would not necessarily be out of place. Those who are concerned by the visual impact are worried that the area's problems could be exacerbated. Indeed it has been suggested that it is as a result of its demise that the wind farm has been proposed at all. 'You don't see them putting wind farms up in posh areas' (female c.47); 'they think they can dump anything here' (female c.45). 'The residents don't want a wind farm as it would be unsightly and would be much better sited on the black mountain. But the National Trust wouldn't like that would they. So why on earth should the people here put up with it?' (SWG 28/9/00).

It is worth noting that the largest majority support for the project in the referendum came from the farms and smallholdings on the Mynydd Uchaf itself. Here 73.5% of people voted in favour of the project. It is possible that this reflects the problems felt by farmers at present and the move that they are making towards diversification.

3.1.2 People and social networks The communities in the Upper Amman and Swansea Valley areas really began to develop as a result of the coal industry and became close-knit communities around coal mines. Now, with coal mined through less labour ­ intensive open-cast mining there is high unemployment in the area, especially among men. The perception is that there are few long-term prospects in the area; this is often manifested in a lack of motivation, demoralisation and inter-generational conflict. JK Palmer in a letter to the Western Mail goes as far as saying that the Valleys have been left ‘as a cultural and social wilderness by its politicians and administrators. .Inevitably, that neglect has left its people now trusting no- one in authority to do anything for them’ (WM 8/7/00).

Consequently, there is a significant risk of a ‘brain drain ’ from the valley as young people seek careers elsewhere. This emigration and the poor level of health in the area signify the depletion of human capital. A recent report notes that ‘life expectancy in the Valleys is still less than the rest of Wales’ (Durham & Cardiff University research findings. SWG 11/5/00). Furthermore, as the job market is rapidly changing, there is a need for new skills and retraining. ‘Lifelong learning has to be the main focus.We need to give people the ability to make informed choices’ (AM Peter Black referring to Assembly document ‘A Sustainable Wales’ SWEP 29/6/00). ‘Valley teenagers are three times less likely to go to university ’ as a result of the lack of role models and the introduction of tuition fees (Higher Education Council for Wales WM 11/4/00).

And yet there is still a powerful community spirit. Social networks are strong and people feel proud of the living in the area. Over 83% of people in the structured questionnaires said they feel proud or very proud of living in the area. There is a valuable commitment, particularly among older people, to the local area, the people and the language. The strong bonds are a reflection

25 of the fact that a lot of people living in the area have lived here for a substantial period of their lives. Fifty-one percent of respondents in part two of the structured questionnaires have lived in the area all their life and approximately 80% have lived in the area for over half of their life.

While communities work together in many respects, there also exist (as in any community) entrenched hostilities, rivalries and prejudices. While these are interwoven in the community make-up in a complex way there are various themes that recur. Some reflect formal boundaries, others reflect different people's experiences of a situation, while others reflect more informal social divisions.

Social and political networks and links are extremely powerful and influence people's opinions of the project, particularly with people who have less understanding of the issues of renewable energy. Taking the case of those that had no opinion about wind farms in the first round of interviews, there is a distinct pattern showing that they favour the views of their friends and families when asked the same question at the end of the consultation.

Rifts and rivalries tend to become engrained in the social fabric of communities and flare up over controversial issues like the wind farm. An example of this in the local area is the local authority boundaries that have divided communities that are physically very close. 'Why are they included in the project - they're in a different county?' (female 50); this comment was made on several occasions and one community council who were supportive of the project maintained that if Garnant and Glanaman (on the other side of the local authority boundary) were included in the share of benefits they 'would fight tooth and nail against the project' (male c.68).

Other boundaries between villages exist, and often reflect the experiences of dealings with the local authority, coal industry or other large body. To some extent there is a feeling of 'they've always got more than we ever did'. This affects the way some people view the project, particularly with respect to the level of decision-making and benefits that different communities should be allocated. Many people in Tai'rgwaith (a village physically more isolated than other villages) have commented that 'Tai'rgwaith has had it worse than other villages', although it does appear that Tai'rgwaith has developed a reputation for 'fighting everything - that's just what people in Tai'rgwaith do' (female c.44, Brynamman). Following a news article by nine residents of Tai'rgwaith opposing the project (SWG 13/8/00) a man (c.49 Gwaun-Cae- Gurwen) said 'people in Tai'rgwaith are always going on about what they haven't had'. Whether this is true or not it is a perception that has developed in other villages and is an example of how social networks influence people's opinions of the project.

These types of social boundaries and networks also work within villages, playing on different experiences and feelings. 'Oh well, if she ’s against the project, I'm in favour' (female c.77). 'I was open minded about the idea of the wind farm until 'they' started accusing me of supporting the project - now I'm definitely in favour' (female 30). In many cases these come down to personal

26 likes and dislikes, experiences with people in the past 'what right has he got to push for the wind farm. He never stuck up for us over the open cast' (male c. 52), and general prejudices 'I don't want some bird putting a wind farm up on my mountain' (male c.48). Above all, it is noticeable that the subject of the wind farm has rubbed the wounds and exacerbated the boundaries at all levels of social networks: in the workplace, between neighbours, between friends, and within families both nuclear and extended.

3.1.3 Local experiences People form many of their opinions about proposed change based on their experiences in the past. These are real situations, which help people to make their decisions about the future. In many respects this is a re-emphasis of issues mentioned earlier: People look at what is happening in their local area, but in particular they look at how it has affected them. Again, people's experiences differ, and so disagreements about the wind farm are often underlined by past disagreement. In fact discussions among people over Awel Aman Tawe sometimes got diverted into arguments about subjects in which both parties had had different experiences. The most dominant theme that has cut across all aspects of the consultation was people's (particularly older people's) experiences of the coal industry. It pervaded all aspects of people's lives locally, and is therefore an obvious reference point. People talk about it as a marker of how much change they can tolerate, and as such it helped people to make their decision as to whether or not they supported the idea of a wind farm.

There are four key points of comparison to the coal industry: Environmental impact: approximately 50% of residents have lived all their lives in this area, and have therefore spent a large amount of time seeing, hearing and possibly working in the coal industry. Mostly residents have negative feelings about the environmental impacts of mining - the dirt, dust, noise, damage, scar it has left on the landscape and the diversion of streams and footpaths. During the consultation, many people compared what they have put up with to what environmental impact a wind farm would have. 'We've put up with coal for generations - all we've been left with is dereliction' (male 67). 'As we see it a wind farm can only bring benefits to the area, no wind-borne pollution, the minimum of noise pollution and above all if the site were ever discontinued no adverse effects to the landscape' (male c 50).

Nevertheless, there were some people who felt that because the area has put up with this, 'we shouldn't be making it worse' by developing a wind farm. 'Why does Tai'rgwaith continue to bear the brunt of. . .upheaval of the natural environment once again' (male 67); 'Tai'rgwaith has put up with opencast - the last thing they want is a wind farm' (male 45); 'We're due for landscaping with walks and streams and then they will put a great big wind farm on top of the village' (female c.40).

Health: Health is another emotive issue. Many people compared the health effects of coal mining with the effects of a wind farm. 'Renewable energy is different because it's cleaner..it helps to reduce asthma - although we need

27 electricity, we need to think about our children's heath' (male 63). 'I'm interested in clean air - I don't find them [wind farms] ugly' (female 93).

In terms of the generation of electricity, many people throughout the consultation showed their concerns for the human risks of nuclear power, the pollution of burning fossil fuels and the health risks as a result of the ozone hole. 'RE is always working with nature - there are fewer health risks involved than using fossil fuels' (female 40).

Those against the project maintained that in order to reduce the use of fossil fuels and still generate enough electricity, the country would need to install huge numbers of turbines. Furthermore, they maintained that there are health risks from wind farms. Although a small minority, it is worth pointing out what their concerns were: mechanical safety; a trigger for epilepsy; electro ­ magnetic radiation and subliminal noise; a trigger for psychological problems.

Employment: The community remembers with a warm glow the experiences of full employment in the heyday of the coal industry. There is an expectation by some that any new industry should be an equally large employer. 'One of the most frequently heard objections to enterprises such as yours is 'it won't bring any new jobs to the area' well it should be stated that neither does the open cast mining where once 1,000 men worked in the deep mines it now takes approx. 20 men to dig coal' (male c.50).

Furthermore, because unemployment is a major issue in the area, people assess new ventures on the basis of possible jobs. 'We put up with the coal because we got work from it. What's the point of this wind farm if it's only going to make one job?' (male c.55). But those supporting the idea look at the potential employment through the environmental education centre or other spin-offs relating to the wind farm 'there'll be jobs in the visitor's centre..or in tourism, it just takes a bit of vision to really see the potential' (female 34).

How people felt they were treated: It came out clearly in the consultation that the way people felt they were treated regarding decisions made about local open cast mining affected their opinions about the wind farm. It is a particular concern in Tai'rgwaith: 'we've been dumped on too many times' (female 54); 'I'm sure it is a good idea, but I don't want to risk it' (female 57); 'we've heard all about community benefits before - what did we ever get out of the open cast?' (male 67).

Other villages expressed similar concerns: 'well I support the project as it stands, a small wind farm, but can you guarantee that it wont be like the open cast and grow and grow?' (female 44). There was in the area huge controversy over the development of open cast mining. Overwhelmingly, local people demonstrated against it, but it still went ahead. This lack of concern for local opinions was expressed in the consultation. (Only 57% of respondents in the questionnaires felt confident that the project would only go ahead if local people supported it). This experience had an effect on

28 people's opinions of the wind farm project. It cast doubts and suspicions in people's minds about whether they would really be part of the decision, or whether it had all been 'signed and sealed years ago' (male 67).

Equally, however, the level of consultation and democratic decision-making demonstrated by Awel Aman Tawe was favourably compared to the open cast experiences, and as a result many people valued the consultation process. This was demonstrated by the level of participation in the consultation and by the high turnout (48%) of voters in the referendum.

3.1.4 Exposure to issues Wind farms are still new in Britain. The average person ’s exposure to them and comprehension of the issues linked to renewable energy are fairly limited. This is no different in the local area. In the first set of questionnaires 11% said they had never seen a wind farm even on TV, and only 16% had seen one close up. Furthermore, 40% of respondents said that they had no opinion about wind farms. Given that there are no wind farms in the immediate locality perhaps this is not surprising. However, local residents came across as being open-minded about wind farms and greater use of renewable energy, but had thought little about the possibility of a wind farm being developed in their locality.

One key aspect of the consultation was to focus on awareness-raising about renewable energy and wind farms. Local people naturally had concerns about the possibility of developing a wind farm within a few miles of their homes, and the project paid particular attention to ensuring that residents had access to current, accurate figures, theories and examples from and about the wind farm industry.

'People are against renewable energy because they don't understand it' (female 74). Throughout the consultation we found that the more people knew about the broader issues of climate change, links between environment and energy production, and the possibilities of renewable energy, the more likely they were to support the wind farm project. This was regardless of age, gender or employment status. It was also regardless of how close they live to the proposed site. A group of 14 girl guides who had recently done a project on RE and visited the Centre for Alternative Technology were almost unanimous in thinking that wind farms are a good idea (only one girl was not in favour). They went on to identify advantages and disadvantages of various forms of RE. Another discussion group of seven people in the local area who are involved in various environmental action groups all favoured wind farms and agreed that there would be greater gains than losses in developing a wind farm in the area.

Furthermore the more exposure people had had to wind farms the more they seemed to be in favour of them and of the project itself. Figures 4-6 overleaf shows that with increasing exposure to wind farms there was increasing favour towards the project. Indeed those who had never seen a wind farm were far less likely to have a strong opinion. The evaluation forms from the

29 coach visits to wind farms showed that on seeing and hearing what a wind farm itself is like, most people supported the project (Figure 7).

People's understanding of the issues and their opinions of wind farms are affected substantially by the media. The development of wind farms has become an emotive issue in Britain, with well-organised campaigners working actively to undermine their development. Such organisations have been criticised for spreading misleading information and exaggerating the impacts of wind farms on local residents. (Welsh Affairs Select Committee 1994). Residents' exposure to this type of information is high given the level of controversy now surrounding wind farms in the UK. This has been demonstrated in the consultation.

As an example, the issue of noise is used: although it is accepted that people's noise tolerance levels are different and therefore the level of irritance of a wind farm is subjective, the issue of noise is a 'tactic' used by many seasoned anti-wind farm campaigners: 'Councilor Ioan Richard [Country Guardian campaigner] ..claimed that a giant wind turbine was an eyesore and compared the noise it generated to 127 boiling kettles' (SWEP 2/10/00). He also, in a letter to the South Wales Guardian, wrote 'Why not put one enormous Wind Turbine down at Cardiff Bay..to harness the windbag debates taking place there. The noise of their whinges and whines could be blamed on the inevitable turbine noises', (SWG 15/6/2000). Forty- eight (19%) of those interviewed in the structured questionnaires mentioned noise as a reason for their dislike of wind farms and yet only seven of those had seen a wind farm up close.

This compares to those who visited a wind farm with Awel Aman Tawe: where only three percent said they thought they were noisy. 'I couldn't believe how quiet the wind farm was. I thought I would have to shout to talk' (male 38). Eighty-two percent thought they were quiet or extremely quiet.

Exposure to these kinds of mis-information is particularly damaging to the wind industry, and consequently to projects like Awel Aman Tawe.

30 □ never seen a wind farm

Figure 4 shows opinions of A AT. Figures are percentages of those interviewed in the structured questionnaires who had never seen a wind farm.

45 Yl- /-- 40 'r 35 'r / 30 A— 25 “1 20 'r 15 'r □ from a distance/on 10 ■r TV 5 0 / / /

Figure 5 shows opinions of A AT. Figures are percentages of those interviewed in the structured questionnaires who had seen a wind farm from a distance or on TV.

□ close up

Figure 6 shows opinions of A AT. Figures are percentages of those interviewed in the structured questionnaires who had seen a wind farm close up.

31 60 t 50 40 30

20 □ opinion of Awel Aman Tawe 10 0- ~o£ / / /

Figure 7 showing residents' opinions of Awel Aman Tawe following a visit to a wind farm. Figures are a percentage of the 152 residents who filled in an evaluation form.

32 3.2 Other processes that influenced people’s opinions The previous two sections identified the local context (the consultation starting point), how that influenced people ’s opinions and drew out the main criteria on which people judged the project. This section looks more at other processes over the course of the consultation that influenced people ’s opinions of the proposed wind farm:

i) the local media ii) local politics iii) broader issues

3.2.1 Media Since the first press release in March 2000, the project was extremely well covered by the local media. Newspapers covered the project on 93 occasions, and it has been the subject of five TV and eight radio broadcasts. Initial coverage of the project was extremely positive. An editorial in the SWG called it 'visionary' and other headlines included 'Pioneering scheme could bring green power boost to valleys' (SWEP 25/3/00) and 'Job hopes as wind farm gets DTI backing' (CJ 29/3/00). The accessibility of information about the project through the media was an extremely important part of the consultation process. Sixty-nine percent of people interviewed said they had read about the project in the local papers. But the media representation of the project, as to be expected, fanned the flames of controversy. Newspapers that ran headlines such as 'Wind farm Shock' (SWG 22/6/00), 'Battling to halt the turbines' (SWEP 11/1/01) and 'Bitter wind farm row blows up' (SWG 15/2/01) focused on the controversy as their main reporting of the project from its first month.

Controversy & debate: This emphasis on controversy by the local media was not all bad. Indeed it contributed substantially to the level of discussion and debate about the project in the local area. This meant that while the project was viewed in the area as highly controversial, readers were able to take in both sides of the story - Awel Aman Tawe was usually allowed to respond to negative pieces. Out of all the coverage, 45 pieces were generally positive and 27 generally negative, the rest were neutral or balanced. It is worth noting that the more local the paper the more negative articles were printed. The local papers generally concentrated on the newsworthy 'battle' rather than giving a balanced consideration of the issues. 'Never let the truth spoil a good rumour' (male 34). Ironically, even national media, in the efforts to present both sides, gave undue influence to the small, but active opposition.

Misleading information: Although the news supported the process of information distribution and discussion, using the media did have the disadvantage at times of printing misinformation. While in most cases this was not a big problem, several pieces of misinformation apparently contributed to negative views of the project. One such piece was the regular description of the project as the 'Tai'rgwaith wind farm'. This put an inaccurate and unnecessary label on the project, singling out one village.

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Figure 8 Examples of letters to the local papers

34 Some people in Rhiwfawr, the closest village, felt they were being marginalised. Only in its front-page coverage of the outcome of the referendum and at the end of the consultation did the South Wales Guardian call it the wind farm at Rhiwfawr.

Impact on people's opinions: The media undoubtedly helped to shape people's opinions. Over 25% of those who contacted the office did so as a result of what they had read in the papers, many raising concerns of what they had read and many questioning the validity of letters opposing the project. As an example, the issue of it being a Tai'rgwaith wind farm led to many people in the area feeling that they didn't have the right to vote. 'I agree with the wind farm but I don't think it should be my decision. It's up to people in Tai'rgwaith' (female 47. Garnant). Given that Tai'rgwaith is not the closest village it is significant that other villagers in the area perceived Tai'rgwaith to be the proposed site for the wind farm. Most of the local letters opposing the wind farm came from people in Tai'rgwaith. 10% of people interviewed said they wouldn't or they weren't sure whether to vote. One of the main reasons given was that it was not up to them.

The letters from those opposing the project regularly misinformed (e.g. [turbines] power only a few houses (SWG 13/4); 'people's votes are being counted up to 9 miles away' SWG 15/2) or were written in such a way as to confuse people: 'the proposed turbines at Tai'rgwaith could only continuously boil 382 kettles!' (SWG 11/5/00), 'Awel Aman Tawe is trying to sell the proposal to us by offering us cash incentives, but.. even National Wind Power gives more per year to the communities they have put these turbines in' (Tai'rgwaith Action Group, SWG 30/11/00).

3.2.2 Local politics Due to the nature of social networks, especially in the face of a controversial issue like the wind farm, it became increasingly important to draw in local political figures, whose influences cut across social fault-lines. Nevertheless, involving local political figures risks the danger of flaring up opposition along party political boundaries. In the event while most local political figures supported the principle of consultation and many 'unofficially' supported the aims and recognised their timeliness and relevance to the global and national agenda, none would officially back the project prior to the referendum. Some local and national politicians were extremely helpful in lobbying for the initial funding for Awel Aman Tawe and ensuring that the findings from the project were heard at forums such as National Assembly Sustainable Energy Group (NASEG).

Some people wanted to know the opinions of the local MP and AM and felt that their lack of open support implied that project wasn't valuable to the area. It would have helped some people to make their decisions had the local politicians been more publicly committed to one side or other. Politicians who wanted to sit on the fence could justify their position by saying that they did not want to influence the referendum. However, in other areas of Wales, politicians have been actively involved in debating the merits of wind farm

35 planning applications. In one instance, Cynog Dafis the Plaid Cymru/Green MP for Ceredigion actively campaigned for the building of a wind farm in Talgarreg near his home village. The wind farm was not universally popular and was turned down at planning. However, local people respected Cynog Dafis' honesty and political courage. His parliamentary majority rose by 1000 votes at the General Election.

3.2.3 Broader issues Other issues were referred to and discussed throughout the consultation in connection with the wind farm. It appears that many people became more attuned to issues of RE as a result. It is unclear whether these helped people to form opinions or whether they helped to confirm opinions. The main issues over the course of the year were:

Weather: 'It hasn't stopped raining since August..burning fossil fuels help towards a bad environment' (female 50. December). It was a particularly wet Autumn, with severe floods and high winds. Comments like 'just think of all that money we could be making' were heard on particularly windy days. One humorous letter to the SWG said Global Warming should be renamed Global Wetting. Fuel crisis: Although the recent fuel crisis largely revolved around the cost of petrol in financial terms, it did make an impression on local people in terms of how much we rely on fossil fuels. 'Look at the state we're in, there's no petrol, we can't get any where - we need our own energy source' (male 40). RE in the news: wind power and other forms of RE were in the media a lot over the past year. Both positive and negative coverage of wind farms influenced people in the local area. In particular the recognition that wind farms are an inevitable development, but equally that wind farms are an issue for people to fight about! One issue brought up regularly by the Tai'rgwaith Action Group was that Wales has a disproportionately large number of wind farms compared to England. Despite the fact that Wales has a disproportionately large amount of wind, it was felt by the Tai'rgwaith Action Group that this disparity was unacceptable.

36 3.3 Criteria on which people judge the project When assessing an idea, people judge it according to sets of criteria that are important to them. Whether the project is favoured or not is determined by how it measures according to those criteria. Different people use different criteria, and have different levels of expectation from projects. Furthermore in assessing the project against their criteria, people require different levels of information. For example, in assessing the impact of the wind farm itself, most people need basic information: the proposed location, size and height of the turbines etc. Others however request finer details like the make or colour of the turbines. 'Before giving support, I need to see clear financial projections, sketch proposal, evidence of funds, land potentially available and justification for siting' (male 53). It is worth identifying the main sets of criteria that people have used in assessing the Awel Aman Tawe project: (see Figure 9 overleaf for the most commonly asked questions):

• the potential threats of the wind farm to local livelihoods • whether the people involved are trustworthy • opportunities for the wind farm to benefit the local area • environmental factors • the consultation process itself

3.3.1 The potential threats of the wind farm to local livelihoods Any proposed change in an area leads to concerns about if and how it may threaten people's lives, and in that respect the proposed wind farm is no different. Concerns about change are highly emotive, primarily because people perceive and experience change in different ways. There can be a tendency to reject all change for fear of its potential damage. As one man put it 'some people would like to stop the world from going round' (male 51).

It is the impression among some in the area that those who oppose the project are 'afraid of change'. While this may be true, it is not unacceptable that people have valid concerns. A lot of people used the consultation to air their concerns and consequently Awel Aman Tawe were able to address these issues and support people in making their decision. The key aspects of concern were:

threat to local noise; visual impact; negative effects on wildlife, environment (mainly birds) threat to local drop in house prices, threat to farming (loss of land/ economy damage to livestock); loss of tourism; loss of businesses moving out as a result of turbines threat to loss of access to the mountain; interference with TV recreation & reception; danger to horses; potential to hit people as leisure they walk on the mountain threat to health trigger epilepsy; mechanical safety; electro-magnetic radiation; psychological problems threat to wind farm could divide community; people may leave community the area; people may not move into the area.

37 * ...... less than 10 Number of ...... 10 - 50 people asking ...... 50 - 100 **** ...... 100 - 200 question ...... over 200

Environmental factors and RE general Are wind turbines noisy? ■slz ««lz ««lz ««lz ««lz How likely is it that we are going to see a wind farm up there **** anyway in years to come? Why don't they build wind farms offshore? *** What impact will 4 or 5 turbines have in cutting emissions? ** How much power do wind farms generate? ** Isn ’t energy conservation more effective? ** Are wind farms efficient? ** Is the technology safe? ** Isn ’t climate change all media hoo ha? * Does the power from a wind farm displace that from coal or nuclear * power station? Are wind farms subsidized? * Is this the government worming its way in the back door? * Doesn ’t Wales already have disproportionately too many wind * farms? Why don't you try geo-thermal or hydro-electric? *

Impact of the wind farm itself Will we end up with hundreds of turbines covering the mountain? ■slz ««lz ««lz ««lz ««lz Do they kill birds? Won't they fly into the turbines? **** Why here? **** How big will they be? **** Will we hear them? **** Where exactly will they be? **** Do they cause epilepsy? *** Where will the electricity go? *** Will it affect animals grazing? *** Will the house prices go down? *** What happens when it is not windy? *** Will we see them? *** How much land will be taken up? *** Could they damage the environment? ** What do they look like? ** Will it affect the TV reception? ** Where will the access road be? ** Will it mean we won't have any more open cast? ** Are you allowed to build it on common land? ** Will the sheep get scared? ** Would they have to be white? ** What about electro-magnetic radiation? * Will birds stop breeding? * Will it cause more fly-tipping? * Won't we get more motorbikes and joy riders up there? * How can you make sure they won't get vandalised? * Will children get hurt? *

Figure 9 showing list of most commonly asked questions * ...... less than 10 Number of ...... 10 - 50 people asking ...... 50 - 100 **** ...... 100 - 200 question ...... over 200

Potential for wind farm to benefit the area Will we get cheap electricity? ■slz ««lz ««lz ««lz ««lz How many jobs will it create? **** Will the community really own the wind farm and how? *** How much profit would it make? *** Who would decide what the profits would be spent on? *** Where will the money come from to build the wind farm? ** Would tourists visit a wind farm? ** Will local companies build it and supply components? ** Can you ensure that all villages would get an equal share of the ** profit? How many houses could the wind farm supply with electricity? ** Can it supply cheap electricity to an industrial estate? * Where would you have the visitors centre? * Why don't you split the money between everybody? *

People Who is involved in the scheme? ■slz ««lz ««lz ««lz ««lz Whose idea was it? **** Where do the steering group live and how long have they lived in *** the area? Why are they involved? *** What about the commoners? Will they get compensation? *** What do the landowners think? *** What benefits are the steering group getting as a result of being ** involved? Are they in cahoots with a private developer? ** Why are people in AAT getting paid? * What experience do they have of big business? * Are they going to make their money and leave? *

The consultation process Is it a fix? *** How long will the project take? *** Why are you asking us? ** Why are 16 and 17 year olds allowed to vote? ** How can I vote when I don't know enough? ** Why haven't you got an agreement from the commoners first? ** What exactly is the money being spent on? ** Did you advertise the consultation jobs? * Are we guinea pigs for projects elsewhere? * How were those questioned chosen? * Why is tax payers money being spent on this? * Why didn't you have a website at the beginning? *

39 Awel Aman Tawe was able to address these concerns for many people and provide them with enough information to help them reach a decision as to whether it would be too great an impact on their lives or not. The level and variety of concerns expressed, however, demonstrates how much of a real worry the concerns about change from a wind farm really represented. All of these concerns are valid and were treated as such by Awel Aman Tawe.

3.3.2 Whether the people involved are trustworthy Supporting a project requires supporting the organisation managing the project. Therefore a key criterion for assessing the wind farm was whether people could trust Awel Aman Tawe and those involved in it. Again, people require varying degrees of reassurance, sometimes to the point of intrusion in individuals' personal lives. Some people find it easy to trust others, while some are by nature, or as a result of past experiences, very suspicious. Overall there are key aspects of those involved that people generally needed reassurance of:

Their morals : are those involved doing it for the right reasons? Is it just the DTI worming its way in through the back door? Are they telling us the truth? Do they really care about our opinions and will they really listen? Will they put up loads of turbines once we agree to a few? Will they let a developer come in? In the cases where people trusted those involved this confidence affected their opinions of the project: 'I don't know a lot about the project - but I can trust his word' (female 74 about an AAT member); 'I know the project will be good for the community if she's involved' (female 60).

Their financial trustworthiness: Are those involved just 'lining their own pockets'? Are they in cahoots with a developer or with Celtic Energy 9? Who are they employing and how much are they getting paid? Money is another emotive issue, and in a potentially large project, suspicion is easily roused about who is benefiting financially.

Their skills: Do those involved have the skills to carry out this project? What is their experience in managing a large business? Is it going to be a large flop? According to one woman (aged c. 40) 'Community groups should stick to knitting and looking after babies'. This captures some of the reservations that some people expressed about whether a community group can really develop a wind farm.

Their commitment to the area: Who are the people involved and where do they live? How long have they lived in the area? Who are they friendly with and who are their families? Do they speak Welsh? Will the money really go back into the area? Awel Aman Tawe addressed these concerns by its transparency and accessibility. By buying all its resources locally it built up respect from local business. By involving lots of people from throughout the area it built up respect throughout a range of networks.

9 The landowner - a mining company

40 3.3.3 Opportunities for the wind farm to benefit the local area A further set of criteria that people used to judge the project was around the issue of benefits to the area. What came out clearly from a large proportion of comments from local people was that some sort of change is needed desperately in the area. 'We need something to keep Tai'rgwaith and Rhiwfawr alive' (female 74). 'What will we have once the open cast is gone. Who will we have to go cap in hand to then?' (female c.47) Fifty-six percent of people felt that the area has something to gain from setting up a community wind farm. But the issue of benefits to the local area is not so important to everyone: 'I support wind farms 100% wherever they are, whoever owns them' (male 67). And while some believe that the area could gain in all sorts of ways - 'We could gain economically, educationally, environmentally and generally enhancing the area' (female c.40) - others feel that the area will benefit very little 'we have yet to be convinced [of the benefits]' (SWG 13/7/00).

In terms of the potential benefits, the key issues that generated discussion and on which people assessed the project were:

Local ownership: ‘Good to find out no big company is involved ’ (male 40) was the view of many people when they heard more about Awel Aman Tawe. There was clear support for the idea of community ownership. 'People should have a say in how things are run' (male 63), 'any business would be better if owned by local communities' (female 32). Having local control over the details of the wind farm - in particular the number of turbines has been mentioned many times as an important factor of community ownership. The potential impact on pride was another factor - 'people will have more of an incentive to join in, and will feel proud of their community' (female 50). Also, the control over our own natural resources - 'communities should own and use their own local resources' (female 25), 'a community wind farm will support co-operation between the communities' (male 48).

But while in theory community ownership was appealing to many, there were those who did not feel confident about community projects. Discussion around local ownership raised concerns that people have about responsibility, liability and accountability. The enormity of the idea of community ownership opened up an array of concerns about how we as a community might go about owning and managing the wind farm and furthermore controlling and allocating the profits. Furthermore, the possible structures for community businesses and the nature of grant funding are unfamiliar to many, so there was confusion and concern as to how a large community could collectively own such a resource. Nevertheless, many people felt that Awel Aman Tawe is realistic in their project plans and that 'if Tower Colliery can own and manage their own coal mine, why can't we own and manage our own wind farm?' (male 32).

There is, to an extent, a lack of faith in community projects delivering much in the way of benefit to communities. Furthermore, concerns were raised in Tai'rgwaith that ‘at least if it was an outside developer, we as a community would be united against it, but now it is just creating conflict within the

41 community ’ (Male 48). Others maintained that community ownership is 'a can of worms' (female 25).

Financial benefits: The level of profits that could potentially be ploughed back into the community was a key criterion on which many people judged the project. Many compared what the community could get if it was community owned and grant-funded to what they would get if a commercial developer owned it. It was the financial benefits that appealed to most people, but equally recognised as particularly delicate to manage. Common concerns were that certain people would take over the running of it, villages would battle against each other for a larger share of the pot, that councilors would try to take over control and that individuals could lose sight of the community aims of the project. 'Opinionated people could use the money unfairly and let their personalities take over' (female 43).

The potential for the profits from the wind farm to support community initiatives was recognised throughout the area. It appeared only to be those who were very opposed to the project (a distinct minority) that felt that there was little scope for the wind farm supporting community initiatives - and furthermore that it should be government and local authorities investing in the area rather than a community project. 'We know that community problems are not solved by putting 4 turbines up on the mountain. There are other institutions in the locality - government and all other funding bodies in the community which should be putting money back into the area.' (Tai'rgwaith Action Group).

Many people thought carefully about what the profits could contribute towards. The main things that people suggested were: • Facilities: 'profits should be spent on things like the swimming pool and recreation. It could create more recreational benefits initially but it will draw in all sorts of benefits later' (male 63). Money should be 'spent on girls - boys have rugby and soccer clubs' (male 65). 'Childcare, information, education and access' (female 31); 'community projects, environmental centre, young people's continuing education and concerns of the elderly' (female 40). • Business: 'profits from the wind farm should be invested into developing Welsh companies' (male 70). Many people felt that supporting business initiatives is the most appropriate use of the profits, either by encouraging inward investment or by supporting local businesses. • Renewable energy & environmental projects: 'Profits should be spent on environmental issues and a certain amount of money should go into education again to raise awareness about RE' (female 32). 'I'd like to see it being spent on solar panels for elderly people to help reduce their fuel costs' (female c.65). • Services: 'public transport, opening community run resources, post offices, schools and local corner shops' (female 25). • Cheap electricity for individuals. Many felt that the best way to benefit is for Awel Aman Tawe to spread the profits among everyone by providing cheap electricity.

42 The structure for distributing money to community initiatives was the subject of much discussion and debate. The two main opinions were that either the profit should be distributed between the villages, or that there should be a fund that projects can apply to. Although the structure will be the subject of further consultation, it is likely that the final decision will be a combination of the two.

The actual financial projections calculated by Awel Aman Tawe and confirmed by various people in the RE industry were questioned on many occasions throughout the consultation process. Although the figure given to people was an estimate - dependant on the future selling price of electricity - many people wanted to know exact amounts that could be generated and therefore that could be distributed to individual communities.

Spin-offs: Further to the ownership and financial benefits that people judged the project by, many also referred to the other spin-offs that the wind farm could produce. 'It could put us on the map' (female 46), 'we could become a centre for the environment - a place for tourists to visit, we could all have solar panels and teach the world a lesson' (female 27). 'What I enjoyed most about my trip to the wind farm was to be assured by the people of Carno that it is a benefit to the community' (male 58); 'all advantage and no disadvantage to local community' (male 65) 'the potential for tourism and publicity for the area is huge' (female 38).

3.3.4 Environmental factors Although in many respects the main criteria that people used to assess the project was its local impact - both positive and negative - the potential positive impact that it could have on the broader environment was an important criterion for many. While all Awel Aman Tawe presentations showed where the project fits in the broader context, much of the project focused around the impact of the wind farm at a local level. Mostly, it focused on addressing concerns about the possible negative effects of the wind farm itself and discussing the potential positive impacts of its community ownership. The consultation aimed to raise awareness of the potential positive impacts at a wider level (e.g. development of RE, potential reduction of pollution and environmental benefits). However, to many people, these issues were regarded as secondary, almost as a bonus, to the possible benefits at a local level.

There were, however, people in the community whose concern for environmental sustainability overrode their concerns about the negative effects of a wind farm in their locality. 'I have heard that they are noisy and bad for wildlife, but wind farms are contributing to cleaner energy' (female 50). And in some cases the community ownership and potential social benefits were seen simply as a bonus. In most cases those residents who had greater awareness of the issues regarding RE, environmental sustainability and climate change seemed to be more likely to recognise the positive benefits of the project at a wider level, and also required less reassurance about the project as a whole.

43 'The aspects to be covered on the bus trips are ones I'm already happy with so I shan't need a seat. Renewable natural energy sources of all kinds I've favoured since I were a lad of 10 experimenting with homemade solar panels in the back garden. Just waiting for the world to catch up!' (male age unknown)

Many people expressed a keen interest in: • being part of a community that that is promoting sustainable energy. • the wind farm as an educational resource. • generating cheap and clean energy which is non-polluting, safe and which helps to reduce CO2 emissions. • having something positive to hand down to our children and children's children. • reducing the need for coal & nuclear.

For many, it was imperative that we as a nation generate more RE, and felt that there is no time to waste in promoting the use of wind power. Consequently many people commented as such: ‘I would favour a community wind farm, but would accept a commercial one ’ (female 31). ‘I am in favour of commercial wind farms’ (female 74). ‘As long as a developer puts something back into the community I have no objections to a commercial wind farm’ (male 65). The questionnaires revealed that 50% of local people felt that wind farms are an inevitable development, and only 12% felt that wind farms should not be developed at all.

In an analysis of people's answers from Awel Aman Tawe's website questionnaire (19 responses) 73% feel that wind farms are an inevitable development. 88% feel that they should only be developed in partnership with local communities, and 73% feel that some of the profits ought to go into local communities.

3.3.5 The consultation process itself This is the first time that such an in-depth consultation has taken place in Britain regarding a wind farm proposal and it is clear that the process itself is appreciated. The three components of the consultation: information dissemination, discussion & debate and decision-making are all aspects that people have responded to. Cutting across all three is the emphasis of the consultation on awareness-raising about issues of RE and wind farms in general which influenced people's opinions greatly. Furthermore, the commitment to bi-lingual information, discussion and decision-making influenced people's opinions favourably.

• Information dissemination: Being able to access information supported people in making up their minds about the project. 'People were arguing about it continually in the pub. So I decided to find out more about it - what I liked most about going on the wind farm trip was seeing they weren't noisy & knowing I was right.' (female 25).The various methods employed during the consultation made it easy for people to get hold of information that they required about the project and about the broader issues of Renewable Energy. 'I enjoyed learning more about this type of

44 project' (female 55). 'As I have read from the press for the last few years about the noise created by the wind farms, I was pleasantly surprised at the quietness of these wind turbines' (male 77). Comments from wind farm visits demonstrated this: What I liked most about the visit was: ‘my negative thoughts changing to positive thoughts’ (male 67), ‘the enthusiasm of the others grew as the day progressed ’ (female, aged 66).

• Discussion & debate: Part of the purpose of information dissemination was to ensure that people were able to be involved in discussions about the project, either formally or informally, as facilitated by Awel Aman Tawe or by others. Discussing the idea enabled people to form clearer opinions on the project, and the consultation process involved drawing on those opinions. People discussed the project informally with friends, family and colleagues, and also formally in meetings, events and discussion groups.

This emphasis on listening to people ’s opinions was appreciated among those who supported and opposed the project: ‘Awel Aman Tawe have had the decency to ask people their feelings ’ (male 59); 'It's good you're listening to what everyone thinks about it' (female 32); ‘at least you ’re listening ’ (male 68, opposer). 'In 30 years of experience in planning I have never known a project to be done in such a democratic way' (Planning Officer, male c.48). Facilitating discussions influenced people's opinions of the project. What I found most useful about the meeting was: ‘information received ’ (male 53), ‘answers were straight and honest’ (male 51) ‘general explanations ’ (female 73). These were comments from people who left a public meeting feeling that the project was a good or excellent idea.

• Decision-making: The purpose of carrying out a local decision-making process was to ensure that the overall project is designed in line with what people in the local area want. It is felt by Awel Aman Tawe that the organisation of a community vote supported the consultation process significantly and people responded positively to a democratic decision ­ making process: 'Unless its ‘one person one vote I have no time for the project ’ (female 55). 'At the end of the day it's up to everyone in the area to make up their minds - that is the beauty of Awel Aman Tawe's project' (male 45).

The process itself influenced people's opinions of the project. It gave residents more incentive to find out about the issues behind the project and, more importantly, reassurance about the equality of decision-making. The fact that Awel Aman Tawe revised its plans as a result of community feeling demonstrated its commitment to local involvement. Residents showed their approval of the project and the way it was managed: ‘Democratic people ’ (male 51) ‘very clear and very democratic. This is how it should be run ’ (male 38).

45 3.4 Patterns of Opinions: The analysis of the questionnaires and the findings from the consultation show that it is not straightforward to predict what people's views will be of the project. It is for this reason that greater analysis was carried out into social networks and the criteria that people used for judging and assessing the project. There were no major differences in the way men and women viewed the project, nor could the closeness that someone lived to the site be considered a determining factor in the opinions they held. However, the consultation did show that all age groups, both genders, and those living near and far from the site changed their opinions in favour of the wind farm over the course of the consultation. Interestingly though, certain categories of people were more likely to change their opinions.

3,4,1 Age Probably the most significant pattern that has emerged has been that of age. The set of questionnaires showed that while younger people were less sure about the idea prior to the consultation, they were noticeably more favourable to it afterwards. Furthermore, with increasing age people showed less change in their opinions.

□ before consultation ■ after consultation

30s 30 & 50 50 & 70 70s

Figure 10 Percentage of people who thought the project was good or excellent (by age groups) before and after the consultation

3 01 ZZZa____ 25- A 20- A Z n 15- □ before consultation 10 A — ■ after consultation 5- A — 0- —r under between between over 70s 30s 30&50 50&70

Figure 11 Percentage of people who thought the project was bad or terrible (by age groups) before & after consultation.

46 It was noticeable during the consultation that there were many comments made that older people are 'set in their ways', not willing to change and will suffer from the turbines. 'Old people will be upset...Change is bad for old people'. However, although Figures 10 and 11 demonstrate that they were less likely to change their opinions as a result of the consultation comments that older people wouldn't 'support the idea' were not borne out in practice.

Many people of older generations took an active part in the consultation. Twenty percent of coach trip participants were people over the age of 70. Eighty-five percent of the presentations given were requested by community groups attended by people primarily over the age of 50. There was a distinct feeling among many older people in the area that we need to develop something sustainable that we can be proud of. ‘We must think about what we will be passing on to our grandchildren - we have to pass on something that’s sustainable ’ (male 75). 'Power of the future' (male 60), my main concern is ‘what becomes of the environment in my children’s and grandchildren ’s time’ (female 86), 'dyfodol y blaned fy' (female 64 - future of my planet). A lot of older people made a clear comparison between coal mining and the wind farm, and in many cases were prepared to support it even without reassurances over their visual or noise impact. 'We've put up with noise and dust from the pits - we're used to it. We shouldn't grumble about a few turbines singing in the wind' (female 82).

This reference to the coal industry was, as referred to above, a key reference point for people assessing the project. As many older people pointed out, 'we have put up with far worse visual intrusions into our landscape'. And yet, it was clear that following the consultation people under the age of 30 were more favourable to the idea of the community wind farm than all other ages. It is suggested that a key factor of this was the willingness to engage and discuss the idea amongst their social networks, and their exposure to RE and environmental issues particularly in terms of the images and information targeted at younger people.

Mostly, children and teenagers were very excited about the idea of a wind farm when they saw one or learnt more about wind energy. 'It is big and I think it is exciting' (male 10), 'every hill should have one' (male 19). 'They don't make a noise like people say they do' (Female 13). 'People say they are ugly, but not as ugly as factories' (female 14). 'Having a wind farm here would help people to appreciate the environment' (female 16).

'I thought wind farms were awful things and couldn't believe it when I heard about Awel Aman Tawe. But then I saw this fantastic wind farm on Blue Peter the other day which had a centre for school kids - and they could go up the inside of the tower and look out of the top. If we could get one like that here, I think it would be great' (male c. 49)

School and youth groups that visited the wind farm were very enthusiastic, not just about the look of them but about the environmental benefits. With RE now on the National Curriculum, many young people are more informed about the environmental implications than their parents. Even infants are

47 provided with positive images of wind turbines: many children coming on wind farm visits were excited by the idea of being in 'Teletubbyland' and were not concerned by the look of a wind turbine.

People's opinions as to whether the area could gain or lose from developing a community wind farm reinforced the pattern of younger people being more favourable to the idea. Their views reflected the feeling of demoralisation that a lot of young people are experiencing: 'the Awel Aman Tawe project will put us on the map. I wouldn't mind a commercial wind farm but I would prefer a community one. It will bring money into the area. There is nothing round here for teenagers' (female 14). The view that the area has nothing to lose was high across all age groups (over 60% of respondents to the questionnaires). See Figure 12 below:

□ something to gain ■ nothing to lose

under 30s between 30 between 50 over 70s & 50 & 70

Figure 12 Percentage of people by age group who feel that the area has something to gain and nothing to lose. (Opinions after the consultation).

Another noticeable difference between the age groups was that with increasing age people were less likely to discuss the project with their friends or families.

3,4,2 Gender Overall the patterns of opinions followed roughly the same trend across the genders. In general more people were favourable towards the idea than not, with a high proportion saying they felt the idea was good. This view matched their opinions of wind farms in general. As can be seen from the graphs below, men tended to feel more than women that Awel Aman Tawe was a bad or terrible idea. This was even more pronounced in the first round of interviews, when nearly 13% of men (and no women) thought that the project was a terrible idea. Women were noticeably more reticent to give an opinion.

48 □ women ■ men

Figure 13 Women and men's opinions of Awel Aman Tawe as percentages after the consultation.

The pattern remained fairly similar when analysing other issues such as whether people thought the area had anything to gain or lose from setting up a wind farm. The impression that the area had something to gain and nothing to lose ran high among both men and women, but women were overall slightly more keen to see the project go ahead (66% to men's 63%) and were more committed to voting in the election (79% to men's 76%). This could reflect men's greater concern that the project would go ahead whatever local people say (44.5% to women's 37%). Men talked about the project more among their friends (43% to women's 36%) and work colleagues (13% to women's 11%) while women talked about it more among their families (52% to men's 49%) and men read about it more in the papers (70.5% to women's 67%). Overall women were slightly happier with the quality of the consultation (55% to men's 52% thought that the consultation was either good or excellent). More women took up the opportunity of going on a coach trip to a wind farm (60% to men's 40%), and more female community groups requested a presentation by Awel Aman Tawe about the project. Nevertheless, there is little discrepancy of opinion between the genders, especially after the consultation.

80 60

40 □ women 20 ■ men 0 something to nothing to lose project should gain go ahead

Figure 14 Women and men's views of whether the area has something to gain and nothing to lose as percentages. (After the consultation)

49 3.4.3 Proximity to the site It has been suggested that those closest to the site would be most likely to object to the wind farm. It was also suggested by some residents in one of the closer villages that residents in villages further away should not be consulted as they would not be affected. The consultation showed that there was no clear pattern of opinions based on proximity to the proposed site. The closest farms to the site were visited at least once by Awel Aman Tawe and engaged in discussion and answered concerns raised by them about wind farms and the project itself. - Two of the farms had already considered the idea of having a wind farm on their property.

The idea that the villages closest to the proposed site are more likely to object was not the case from the consultation. There are three villages approximately one mile from the proposed site, but one of these, Rhiwfawr, is notably closer than the other two. Public meetings were held in all three. The only meeting that was particularly negative was the one carried out in Tai'rgwaith. The other two were positive, and completed evaluation forms showed people to think the project either 'good' or excellent'. In the Rhiwfawr public meeting many were excited by the project T think it would put the area on the map - bring tourists in and bring back pride' (male).

Furthermore, the project was contacted by residents of villages several miles away, outside the catchment area, to voice their objections to the project. One woman phoned up saying T have just moved here. Before we moved, my husband said, "it will be alright moving to Wales as long as there are no wind farms there'". Another man over 6 miles away plagued the project for several months with angry letters to the papers and to the steering group.

While the results of the referendum show that there was significant support among those who live on the mountain itself, the proximity of people to the site didn't appear to influence people's opinions of the project. The Figure below show two sets of villages, one set within 2000m of the proposed site, and the other over 3000m from the site.

■ Gwrhyd farms ■ Cwmgors □ Rhiwfawr □ GCG □ Cwmtwrch □ Cwmllynfell □ Bryn aman □ Tairgwaith ■ Garnant

yes no yes no

Villages under 2000m in Villages over 3000m in increasing distances______increasing distances______Figure 15 shows referendum results in percentages by proximity to site.

50 It is clear from these graphs that support for the project did not necessarily increase with increasing distance from the proposed site. All villages favoured the project except for two villages: Tai'rgwaith and Gwaun-Cae- Gurwen.

3,4,4 Length of residency in the area One factor that is often suggested as a reason for the different views of a wind farm is the different expectations from people who have recently moved to an area and those that have lived there for a substantial period, if not all, of their lives. The questionnaires revealed that 79.5% of those interviewed had lived in the area for over half their life (51% of these having lived in the area all their life).

Analysing the results from the structured interviews, an interesting pattern emerged showing that those that had lived in the area for under a quarter of their lives were more likely to change their opinions about the project than those that had lived in the area all of their life. Furthermore, they were more likely to discuss the idea with friends and family and to read about it in the local papers. These are similar findings to those regarding age, in that those under the age of 30 were more likely to change their minds. But it is important to note that the proportion of their lives spent in the area does not correlate with age.

50

40

30 □ before consultation 20 ■ after consultation 10 0 bad or no feeling good or terrible either way excellent

Figure 16 shows percentages of opinions about AAT before and after the consultation of those that have lived in the area all of their lives.

□ before consultation ■ after consultation

bad or no feeling good or terrible either way excellent

Figure 17 shows percentages of opinions about AAT before and after the consultation of those that have lived in the area <25% of their lives.

51 Furthermore the opinions of whether the area has anything to gain or lose from developing a community wind farm also show the same pattern.

□ before consultation ■ after consultation

area could gain area could lose

Figure 18 shows percentages of opinions about whether the area could gain or lose by developing a community wind farm before and after the consultation of those that have lived in the area all of their lives.

□ before consultation ■ after consultation

area could gain area could lose

Figure 19 shows percentages of opinions about whether the area could gain or lose by developing a community wind farm before and after the consultation of those that have lived <25% of their lives in the area.

The level to which they discussed the project with friends and family also showed a clear difference. Those that had lived in the area for under 25% of their lives talked about the project more with their friends (52.5% and 39% respectively) and to their families (68% and 46% respectively), and furthermore, in-comers read about the project more in the local papers (85% and 68% respectively).

52 3.5 Identifying conditions & influencing factors Part of the project remit was to extract lessons from the consultation process to inform Awel Aman Tawe project at a local level, and to identify key issues for those working within the Renewable Energy industry.

3.5.1 Identifying conditions for the continuation of AAT Through discussion and absorption of ideas and concerns, Awel Aman Tawe was able to tailor the project itself, as well as the consultation process. The set of conditions on which the project would go ahead was agreed following the consultation process. These conditions formed the basis of the referendum question (see Appendix A):

• The wind farm will consist of 4 or 5 turbines and will be situated on the Mynydd Uchaf (y Gwryd) between the villages of Rhiwfawr, Cwmllynfell and Tai'rgwaith. • Anyone aged 16 and over, living in the 12 closest villages and the farms and small holdings on the mountain itself is entitled to become a member of Awel Aman Tawe at the cost of £1. • All profits from the electricity generated will be held by a charitable trust. • The charitable trust will be managed by Trustees. Residents in each village elect their own trustee. • Funding will go to projects that generate local jobs, develop community facilities and services and respond to the needs of all age groups.

3.5.2 Influencing factors Those opposing the project and those supporting the project cut across all age groups, both genders, insiders and outsiders and those living near and far from the proposed site. Noticeably, two couples of the same age, with same types of jobs, living equidistant from the proposed site sat rigidly on opposite sides of the fence. One couple rated the project as a 'terrible idea' and an Awel Aman Tawe presentation as ‘a complete waste of time’ while the other couple stated that 'it is exactly the sort of thing that this area needs'.

There are three patterns, however, that have emerged from the consultation: Awareness of RE: Throughout the consultation it was noticeable that those with more awareness of the issues relating to renewable energy spoke out in favour of the project. ‘We can ’t afford not to support this project - in all likelihood there will be a wind farm up there anyway in years to come ’ (female 70). ‘I would like to see more wind farms in the UK. It will happen anyway. ’ (female 32) ‘We should use our natural resources - we’ve got to start somewhere if we’re going to help the planet ’ (female 31). ‘I can ’t see how wind farms can have any negative effect on the environment. Some people think you ’ll go deaf with the noise, but there was no noise - they should go and see a wind farm themselves’ (male 53).

As the consultation developed, greater emphasis was placed on education and awareness raising. Eighty-five percent of people questioned prior to the

53 consultation said they would support the idea of an environmental education centre developed as part of any wind farm.

The potential opportunities for the area as a result of the development of the community wind farm.: The level of local benefits to the area was the subject of much of the discussion surrounding the wind farm. Many people supported the project on the basis of community benefits. This was clearly an attraction for the majority of local residents. It also caused substantial concerns as to how the finances would be managed, and who would ultimately make decisions. Clear suspicions and existing hostilities reared their heads throughout these debates.

Local context and past experiences: Throughout the consultation is was clear that one village, Tai'rgwaith, were opposed to the project. 'The people [of Tai'rgwaith] do not want wind farms, let us for once in our lifetimes have a natural and clear environment' (female SWG 24/8/00); 'no sorry, the wind farm can't be built here, the coal disposal plant is going and that's it. Tai'rgwaith is going to stay a nice quiet village with wonderful views of the countryside.' (male SWG 28/9/00). These were the views of a couple of residents in Tai'rgwaith written into the local paper. Despite the fact that Tai'rgwaith is not the closest village, it is clear that it held the most opposition to the idea. The other village that showed substantial opposition was Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, the closest village to Tai'rgwaith (over 3000m away from the proposed site).

As the consultation developed it became clear that the opinions of people in Tai'rgwaith were substantially different to most other villages in the area. Furthermore, people from other surrounding villages suggested that Tai'rgwaith had a similar of reaction to any sort of change. 'Forget the consultation - put the turbines up and within 5 minutes, you'll find they won ’t even notice them!' (male 50) was the suggestion of one Cwmgors man and 'What exactly is it that people in Tai'rgwaith are complaining about?' (female 30). Given substantial nature of the opposition in Tai'rgwaith the report specifically addresses this in looking at the development of opposition to the project in the next section.

These factors have significant implications for other Renewable Energy projects and developments: • Awareness-raising about Renewable Energy issues and wind farms ought to be integrated into any consultation strategy or pre-development planning. • Consideration ought to given to identifying potential benefits and opportunities available to the local area as a result of the proposed development. • Recognition ought to be given to the importance of social networks, the local context and to past experiences. these clearly have an impact on the way people receive proposed ideas and can make a significant contribution towards the acceptance or rejection of the idea. Essentially, bringing local people on board, respecting their knowledge and experiences and acknowledging the influence of informal social networks

54 can contribute to the success of a project. Where there is substantial opposition to the scheme, it may be as a result of a significant experience common to residents in that area. Feelings about the scheme may be altogether different less than a mile away.

55 56 4. OPPOSITION TO THE PROJECT

Despite the results of the referendum which showed that the majority of the community backed the idea of a wind farm, the project faced substantial opposition in one particular village, Tai'rgwaith. There were, of course, people who opposed the project throughout the area, but Tai'rgwaith was the only village that developed an organised opposition group: the Tai'rgwaith Action Group. The opposition from Tai'rgwaith was apparent from the outset of the consultation, and while several people from the village came on coach trips and subsequently supported the project, the consultation did little to reassure many villagers of the potential benefits of a community wind farm.

The first set of questionnaires showed that, in Tai'rgwaith, only 11% thought it was a good or excellent idea. An informal show of hands at the well- attended first public meeting in Tai'rgwaith showed approximately 70-30 split against the wind farm and the final referendum showed only 22% in favour and 78% against the proposal. The opposition from Tai'rgwaith was apparent all the way through the consultation. And yet, some of the strongest support came from Tai'rgwaith: 'Tai'rgwaith will miss out if we don't grasp this opportunity with both hands' (male 67). 'We've got to make sure this project gets through. It's our only hope at the moment' (female 47).

4.1 Why Tai’rgwaith? Tai'rgwaith is a village physically set apart from other villages in the area. There is one road in and out. Despite it being home to Amman Valley Enterprise's adult education facility many people in the area say they have little reason to go to Tai'rgwaith, and only occasionally pass in and out of it on the bus. It has a reputation for being a 'closely-knit, almost cliquey' village and is referred to by some as the 'Wild West'. As its name suggests it was built around three coal pits and consequently the village itself has a history of living, breathing and working coal. 'I always thought going to Tai'rgwaith was like going to the moon - full of craters and slag heaps' (female 40, Garnant). As a result of the village's physical isolation, the social networks within it are extremely strong. There are several possible reasons why a large proportion of people in Tai'rgwaith opposed the idea of the wind farm.

Tai'rgwaith: the base for pre-project development: Three people who initiated the project were from Tai'rgwaith. They, along with seven others, met regularly in their houses over a period of 18 months to research and develop the idea of a community wind farm. Within this time, they developed a partnership with Amman Valley Enterprise whose centre is situated in Tai'rgwaith and who employ several Tai'rgwaith residents. Prior to raising any funding for the consultation, word inevitably got out into the village and rumours and misinformation started to spread. Furthermore, the project was identified with the three Tai'rgwaith individuals all of whom had moved to the area in the last 16 years, who had no extended family in the village and consequently had limited social networks. As a result, only those who had strong connections with the three involved spoke directly to them

57 addressing their concerns about the idea. Therefore, in the period before the consultation, many villagers heard and spread rumours of a wind farm about which they knew very little. 'This project was signed and sealed years ago - how come you're only just talking to us now about it?' (Female 45) The fact that they weren't able to access sufficient information when they heard rumours is a likely reason for the level of anger that subsequently developed.

Media coverage regularly referred to it as the Tai'rgwaith wind farm. Despite clear explanations that the wind farm wouldn't be in Tai'rgwaith itself, and that Tai'rgwaith wouldn't be the closest village, the image expressed by the media was strong enough for residents to maintain that it would be. 'They are going to put a great big wind farm on top of the village' (female c.45). By labeling it as such, it implied that only one village (Tai'rgwaith) would be affected. This triggered anger among residents who believed the media representation and felt let down that their village would be used for the benefit of the whole area. Furthermore, it paved the way for Tai'rgwaith isolating itself in the fight against the turbines.

Social networks: Given the closeness of social networks in Tai'rgwaith, the opposition to the idea ran fairly swiftly around the village. Noticeably, those who had strong social connections to those involved in the project either supported it or reserved judgement until they found out more about it. (This was partly because they were able to find out clearer information during the pre-project development). Even so, some people mentioned the pressure put on them by other villagers to oppose the project: One woman (27) who worked for the project said although she supported it, she was scared to carry on. Another person wrote an anonymous letter in favour of the project to the local paper saying 'I feel that I cannot give my name in genuine fear of repercussion from people who are frantically against the wind farm project' (SWG 3/8/00). At an open day in Tai'rgwaith one villager said quietly 'I think it's a great idea. But don't tell that lot I said it'. Another man, mid-way through the consultation said 'I'm not in favour of the project, but it's not because I don't like you. You need to be careful. Don't tell anyone I've spoken to you' (male 38).

Past experiences: Tai'rgwaith has a reputation in the area for 'fighting things'. Comments like 'Tai'rgwaith has had it much harder than other villages - you don't know because you don't live here' demonstrate the feeling among some residents that there is something to fight about. Some residents referred to issues they have fought over: 'we built this community centre with no help from anyone else - it was bloody hard work, but we did it' (female 76), 'we protested over the open cast and look what happened. They came in anyway' (male 62). Others referred to what they will fight about: 'over my dead body - I won't let them stick a rubbish dump on that mountain' (female 76). The experience of the open cast in particular has clouded many people's view of the project. At the open day in Tai'rgwaith, the number of references to the open cast was overwhelming, and an agreement to the wind farm appeared to be too great a risk of a rerun of the experiences with the open cast. 'The past behaviour of the open cast has made people very suspicious of the project' (Cwmllynfell resident).

58 4.2 The Development of the Tai’rgwaith Action Group Within a few months of the start of the consultation, a group of nine residents formed an action group (Tai'rgwaith Action Group) to oppose the wind farm project. This followed the first public meeting in Tai'rgwaith. Tai'rgwaith Action Group used a variety of methods to oppose the project. Although their pronounced remit was 'to let residents know the real story about wind farms and Awel Aman Tawe' the thrust of their purpose was to fight against the wind farm at all costs: 'we'll rig the vote if we have to' (male c.50).

Although Tai'rgwaith Action Group represented a lot of villagers opinions in Tai'rgwaith it had a small number of members who worked on a voluntary basis, and put in substantial amounts of time and energy throughout the consultation period. They drew on their social networks throughout the area and used other methods (door knocking, petitions in the local post offices and shops, regular press letters and articles, letters to the DTI, contact with the local AM and MP etc). They also contacted the Council for the Protection of Rural Wales (CPRW) who in practice oppose most wind farm developments in Wales. In addition they held two well-attended public meetings (in Tai'rgwaith and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen) in the run up to the referendum. In these, they presented a substantial amount of material drawn from organisations like the Country Guardian and the CPRW both of whom have been criticised by the Welsh Affairs Select Committee (1994) for providing misleading information.

4.3 Opposition objections and approach: Part of what the Tai'rgwaith Action Group claimed to do was to 'inform the local residents on the realities of living with a wind farm'. While they maintained that their purpose was that of informing, there was very little reference in their correspondence, their public meetings, and their media coverage to information about living with a wind farm at all. Other opposition mainly came from external 'anti-wind farm' campaigners (eg Country Guardian member Ioan Richards) who wrote letters to the local papers. The thrust of the campaign from Tai'rgwaith Action Group and from external opposers was a process of undermining five aspects of the project:

• the people involved in the project • the consultation process • the wind farm itself • the potential benefits to the area • the broader issues of RE and the environment.

It is worth pointing out that these five aspects are the five main sets of criteria on which people judged the project (see section 3.3). By deliberately undermining them, those opposing the project fuelled concerns and shook some people's confidence in the project. What came out very strongly during the consultation was the level of personal attack on those involved in the project: 'you should hear the things they are saying about you in the pub - they're only saying that because of the wind farm' (female 25).

59 4.3.1 Undermining the people involved in the project Their commitment to the area: By highlighting the fact that the three residents from Tai'rgwaith involved in the project were not originally from the village, opposers attempted to draw a divide between residents and the project, implying that those involved were not committed to the area. 'TAG are made up of local people - all of whom have lived in the area all their lives - some even up to 50 years' (female 25). By maintaining that Tai'rgwaith would be the village most affected by the wind farm, opposers dismissed other members of the steering group 'well they don't live in Tai'rgwaith'.

Their morals : 'You must be in it for the money - why else would you be doing it?' (male 52). The rumours spread about those involved in Awel Aman Tawe were primarily about their morals - past and present: 'using public money to line their pockets'; 'confidence tricksters' (SWG 11/5/00). 'If Awel Aman Tawe write such inaccuracies in one short letter, can the public trust them about anything?' (SWG 11/5/00). 'Yet another attempt by the insidiously powerful wind farm vested interests to bamboozle people with misleading and inaccurate figures.' (SWG 15/6/00).'They really do need very close questioning' (SWG 6/7/00). 'The consultation team is also a sales team' (Tai'rgwaith Action Group).

Their financial trustworthiness: 'we are concerned about what the money is being spent on ..Awel Aman Tawe received £75,000 for the project and all we can see it being spent on is coach trips to a wind farm' (SWG 13/7/00). Rumours of those involved 'skimming money off the top' were common in the village, and several references to financial statements given to Tai'rgwaith Action Group demonstrated their lack of trust in the financial management. This was despite a response to the local AM from the DTI confirming their satisfaction with the financial management. Drawing on the emotive subject of employment, Tai'rgwaith Action Group attempted to undermine the financial trustworthiness of those involved: 'Despite advertising briefly at the local job centre any jobs have been given to members of the steering committee and their families'. Even according to Tai'rgwaith Action Group's own table of AAT employees, this is completely untrue. 'TAG has not received any funding and is made up of local residents who are all volunteers'. Tai'rgwaith Action Group implied that those working for Awel Aman Tawe shouldn't get paid, and in fact being paid for the job was seen to be an indication that there was something 'dodgy going on'; 'We'll get to the bottom of this' (male c.67).

Their skills: Another way of undermining those involved was to imply that they do not have the skills to do what they are planning on doing. 'You think you're clever, don't you? Well you're not as clever as you think, cause we're onto your game' (female 45). By implying that Awel Aman Tawe's suggestions were confused, wrong or exaggerated was a tactic to sway residents into believing that those involved were not capable of managing the project. Although the aims of the consultation were to present ideas for

60 discussion without being too prescriptive, it was implied that Awel Aman Tawe couldn't be specific because they didn't understand the issues. For example, by taking out of context the suggestion that Awel Aman Tawe look into the options of supplying a local industrial estate with electricity, Tai'rgwaith Action Group suggested that those involved didn't understand future electricity trading possibilities. 'The wind farm will not mean cheaper electricity for local businesses or residents - as AAT have claimed. The electricity produced will be sold to the National Grid, this electricity cannot be channeled specifically into one area or business estate' (Tai'rgwaith Action Group). By only ever referring to the highest figure that Awel Aman Tawe suggested could be made by the wind farm, Tai'rgwaith Action Group suggested that 'AAT have vastly overestimated their figures and mislead residents - many of whom believe that they will be guaranteed £382K per year'.

4.3.2 Undermining the consultation process: 'Perhaps the planning permission is in the bag and the vote and consultation is just a PR exercise' (SWG 15/2/01).

Information: We know that AAT have provided residents with only half the story and have not been impartial in their consultation' (female 25). By negating the research carried out by Awel Aman Tawe into the concerns raised by residents, opposers maintained that the project was giving a rosy picture in order to 'sell' the idea of the wind farm. By taking on a role of representing the residents of Tai'rgwaith, and drawing on resources known to be misleading, Tai'rgwaith Action Group set out to present material to residents in such a way that some residents would feel that Awel Aman Tawe was biased. 'Awel Aman Tawe have misled the public' (SWG 13/4/00).

Despite letters to every household in Tai'rgwaith regarding the concerns raised in Tai'rgwaith (see Appendix A) and information sheets addressing frequently asked questions, Tai'rgwaith Action Group maintained that 'AAT have not answered local residents well founded fears on falling house prices, noise pollution and visual impact' (Tai'rgwaith Action Group). By negating the fact that different people have different questions and concerns Tai'rgwaith Action Group attempted to undermine the consultation process: 'Different information is being presented at different meetings depending on the amount of support/opposition and how far away the village is from the proposed site'.

Several people opposed to the wind farm idea complained about the consultation, that they feel the information disseminated was biased, (it was suggested by one woman (aged 25) that 50% of the voluntary project steering group should be made up of people who are opposed to the project). Also one woman (aged 56) felt that she hadn't been 'consulted enough' (when offered an in-depth semi-structured interview about her particular views of the project, she declined saying 'I don't want to be treated any differently to anybody else').

61 Fair process : By implying that Awel Aman Tawe were unfair in the way they managed the consultation process, opposers fueled residents' anger about the project. 'AAT have been targeting children of primary-school age - who will not be able to vote'. 'Wind farm trips to Carno have been used mainly as a vehicle for promoting the wind farm to school age children. (265 people came on coach trips. On two trips local schools brought a class of children - totaling 40 children) 'AAT have been derogatory about members of TAG branding us ‘aggressive and awkward ’ ' (this was a description by a member of the public who was unhappy with the way Tai'rgwaith Action Group disrupted a public meeting). 'Public meetings held by AAT have been unorganised' (Tai'rgwaith Action Group).

Despite the overall reduction in the number of villages eligible to vote, Tai'rgwaith Action Group maintained that Awel Aman Tawe had increased the number of villages in order to gain extra votes. 'They moved the goalposts, that was after the petition went round the village' (SWG 15/2/01). Despite being a community referendum addressing issues of local regeneration and among other things the high out-migration of school- leavers '[Tai'rgwaith Action Group] have slammed Awel Aman Tawe for using 16-year olds, labeling it morally wrong....It seems a calculated way of gaining extra votes' (SWG 15/2/01). Tai'rgwaith Action Group also questioned the results and the validity of the referendum.

4.3.3 Undermining the wind farm itself In order to undermine the wind farm itself, opposers played on people's fears and concerns about the threat of the wind farm to their livelihoods. 'AAT have not answered local residents well founded fears on falling house prices, noise pollution and visual impact.' While it is clearly important to demonstrate the need for information on the potential threats to people's livelihoods, the Tai'rgwaith Action Group were unwilling to accept research carried out by Awel Aman Tawe and information presented about these concerns. Throughout the consultation Tai'rgwaith Action Group maintained that their questions were unanswered about the realities of living by a wind farm, but refused to attend a wind farm trip where they would be able to meet people who live by a wind farm. Those that did come found their questions were answered and filled in positive responses on the evaluation forms and presumably contributed to the 22% of those in Tai'rgwaith that did vote in favour of the project.

'Tai'rgwaith is situated just 2 miles from the Brecon Beacons National Park, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Site of Special Scientific Interest. After 40 years of mining and open cast operations, the landscape surrounding Tai'rgwaith is finally being returned to it’s natural unspoiled glory.' Furthermore, the potential site itself was undermined: 'If this was a viable site, then National Windpower would have developed this site further by now' (Tai'rgwaith Action Group).

62 4.3.4 Undermining the potential benefits to the area 'We are informed enough to know that any community ‘problems ’ are not solved by erecting 4 giant (90m) turbines on a peaceful mountain' (Tai'rgwaith Action Group).

Local ownership: 'AAT have also stated that the wind farm would be community owned. This is wrong'. (Tai'rgwaith Action Group). 'If financially the wind farm is unprofitable then private investors will take over' (Tai'rgwaith Action Group). The issue of community ownership was stated as a 'can of worms' and would never work. Furthermore, the broader remit of local area regeneration was attacked on the basis that Tai'rgwaith would be affected but other villages benefit, and that Tai'rgwaith as a small village would lack representation on committees making decisions. The idea of local ownership therefore was undermined in such a way as to say that Tai'rgwaith would never have adequate ownership.

Financial benefits: 'even using AAT’s top figures each person would only get £24.33 each per year - again residents have been mislead.' By breaking down the figures to individual sums, Tai'rgwaith Action Group suggested that the amount of potential financial benefit to the area would be minimal. Furthermore, 'no long term full time employment has resulted or is guaranteed by the project' - although the wind farm was in a year-long consultation phase, Tai'rgwaith Action Group implied that it should be guaranteeing long term employment.

Spin-offs: By undermining the potential for spin-offs from a community wind farm, opposition was focused primarily on the wind turbines themselves. 'Awel Aman Tawe seem to think the community will benefit but we are yet to be convinced' (SWG 13/7/00); 'Tourists won't ever visit a wind farm' (several) 'I heard of a wind farm visitors centre in Devon which had to be closed down because it was non-profiteering' (female 25). 'An education centre would only draw in children, who have little spending power, anyway' (female 25). Again the issue of employment was raised in querying any potential spin-offs, while misinforming residents about the nature of the existing employment: 'and what about jobs? No definite answer there either, because there isn't one.. the only real job long term job that will arise out of this scheme is a single maintenance person recruited from National Wind Power - oh and of course the two permanent paid employees of Awel Aman Tawe' (Tai'rgwaith Action Group letter to SWG 30/11/00).

4.3.5 Undermining the broader issues of RE and the environment 'The real worry is how these people distract us from the real ecological practicalities facing us in our fight to save the planet' (external opposer 11/5/00).

The fifth set of criteria on which opposers based their campaign was to undermine the broader environmental issues. While Tai'rgwaith Action Group maintained that they do not object to wind power or renewable energy, the secretary of Tai'rgwaith Action Group did suggest that climate change was 'all media hoo ha'. Any references by Awel Aman Tawe that the

63 development of a wind farm could contribute to broader environmental good practice was undermined by Tai'rgwaith Action Group by saying that 'energy conservation is a better route to a good environment'.

'Conserving energy would be a much more efficient way of helping the environment rather than creating more energy - regardless of its source. If we used the £75K AAT have already been given to purchase energy saving light-bulb packs from the local electricity supplier SWALEC, we would be able to buy 7,507 packs which could save up to 3,153kW per hour. This saving would exceed by four times the actual output AAT estimate their 4 turbines will produce' (Tai'rgwaith Action Group).

Furthermore, issues brought up by opposers to undermine RE were: that 'Wales has 46% of the wind turbines in the UK with only 5% of its population', 'the development of wind farms have been subsidised'; that wind turbines are 'inefficient', and that wind statistics are 'exaggerated' and that Awel Aman Tawe are 'leading us up the wrong path to self-destruction' (SWG 24/8/00).

While many people in the area were not really interested in the load factor of wind turbines, or the level of contribution of the wind farm to a reduction in CO2 emissions, these issues were presented by opposers as arguments against the idea.

Overall the sets of objections to the wind farm were a reworking of arguments that are used regularly by organisations like Country Guardian. They play well on people's concerns and were effective among many in the village of Tai'rgwaith which is a close-knit village and where many felt the impact of open cast mining particularly strongly.

4.4 Impact of the opposition on the consultation process: There were both positive and negative impacts from the opposition to the project:

4.4.1 Negative impacts: Upsetting and demoralising: Perhaps one of the most significant impacts was that felt at a personal level. The degree of personal insults and verbal abuse was unexpected and undoubtedly had an impact, at least at times during the year. Lies, rumours that were spread and aggressive behaviour were irritating and demoralising, taunting people within Awel Aman Tawe to respond and defend themselves on a personal level.

Created a rift of us and them: By establishing a campaign in the way Tai'rgwaith Action Group did it became increasingly difficult to work with them, answer questions, respond to concerns. It became clear fairly early on that their approach was to attack on all fronts often without regard for accuracy of information and undermining all aspects of the project regardless of its worth. Awel Aman Tawe was forced to defend its work, its members and its objectives to finer and finer detail, which was time-consuming and irritating.

64 Intimidating to other residents in the area: Awel Aman Tawe received correspondence from others in the area to the effect that they couldn't openly support the project (either by speaking out in a public meeting, attaching their name to a letter to the press, be seen speaking to a member of Awel Aman Tawe, taking up the opportunity of employment) because of the potential repercussions by those opposing the project.

Fuelled fears and raised concerns: As explained above, objections raised regularly misrepresented the actual project. Given that all but one of the other villages in the area supported the project it is unlikely that Awel Aman Tawe didn't address local residents' concerns. The process undertaken by Tai'rgwaith Action Group was a targeted attempt to fuel people's fears rather than to address their concerns. This made a lot of people worried about the project, in particular because of the range of issues that the project encompassed. For many people it was easier to say no than to explore in detail the conflicting messages they were getting. 'I don't want to know about the project - I'm just sure I don't want it' (female 56). 'Oh the wind farm! - I signed a petition about that, but I'm not sure if it was for or against' (female c.46).

4.4.2 Positive impacts: There were positive impacts as well as a result of the development of the opposition:

Transparent and Rigorous: The level of scrutiny employed by Tai'rgwaith Action Group in its assessment of Awel Aman Tawe had the advantage of ensuring that the consultation process was rigorous, and well-documented. By being forced to account for details of specific conversations, every penny of funding and all activities and statements, the project was seen by many to be a very transparent and rigorous process. Information sheets developed in response to Tai'rgwaith Action Group ’s concerns could be distributed easily and swiftly to anyone else with similar concerns.

Gained support: 'I was ashamed to be part of the congregation' (female 67) said one woman after attending a public meeting in which supporters of Tai'rgwaith Action Group shouted at a visitor from Carno. The aggression and rudeness employed by many people opposing the project was a deciding factor for some people in their support for the project. One man in Rhiwfawr who was himself opposed to the project thought that Awel Aman Tawe must be paying Tai'rgwaith Action Group because 'they are so over the top that they are winning you more support' (male 60).

Helped to define project priorities: Through listening to and addressing, where possible, the issues raised by Tai'rgwaith Action Group, Awel Aman Tawe did define certain boundaries, clarify conditions and identify a more appropriate process. These were considered in conjunction with concerns raised in other parts of the area (and discussed in more detail in the next section).

65 Helped to bond those involved in the project: Those involved in the project worked well as a team and supported each other substantially throughout the year, especially at difficult times when there were unpleasant rumours going around. In many respects the level of opposition helped to bond those involved in the project.

Kept up the debate and interest in the area: Given that one of the key objectives of the project was to encourage debate and discussion, the development of Tai'rgwaith Action Group contributed substantially to Awel Aman Tawe's purpose. While at times difficult, demoralising and irritating, the project did maintain a key position in the local media and awareness of the project was high. Furthermore, it is likely that one of the reasons for the high turnout in the referendum was its controversy.

66 5 THE CONSULTATION PROCESS

The purpose of the consultation process was to involve local people in making the decision as to whether or not Awel Aman Tawe should pursue the idea of a community wind farm. Following an in-depth participatory assessment process, the referendum results demonstrated that villagers in the local area supported the idea on the basis of the conditions outlined in section 3.5.1. The level of involvement and participation from local residents throughout the consultation enabled Awel Aman Tawe to develop a set of conditions that reflected people's main concerns.

Noticeably, over the course of the consultation most people moved more in favour of the project. In all but two of the villages there was a significant majority of residents voting in favour of the idea by the end. In the village of Tai'rgwaith, which showed substantial opposition to the idea, a majority of residents were opposed from the very start and didn't change their opinions throughout the course of the consultation.

In assessing the effectiveness of the consultation process, it is worth reiterating the key issues drawn out in section 3.5.2: • Awareness-raising about Renewable Energy issues and wind farms • Potential benefits and opportunities available to the local area • The importance of the local context

These three factors were integrated into the consultation, with awareness­ raising taking on an increasingly dominant position. Furthermore, greater explanation and elucidation of the possible benefits and spin-offs were requested, and consequently discussed in greater detail with residents and within the steering group. Awel Aman Tawe was committed to tailoring the project to the needs of the local context. It also acknowledged the importance of social networks in the dissemination and discussion of ideas.

In assessing the effectiveness of the process this section identifies three factors:

1. Local participation and involvement in the project 2. The effectiveness of methods used 3. The constraints faced

5.1 Local Participation and involvement in the project In the development of the project, priority was given to a high level of involvement in the consultation process. This was based on the fact that for it to be a community wind farm it had to be discussed substantially at a local level. Furthermore, for people to feel that they owned it, it would have to take on board key aspects important to local people. Therefore, the consultation embraced not only a community vote, but also a significant discussion period prior to the vote to define appropriate conditions for its acceptance. In assessing the level of involvement, therefore, this section

67 looks not just at how many people got involved and in what way, but also how the project responded to people's contributions.

5.1.1 Did people participate? A substantial amount of people in the local area participated in the consultation process. Not only was the turnout for the referendum high (48% of local people voted), but also throughout the ten months the level of time and energy that many people put into discussing the idea was substantial.

Twenty community groups participated in discussions, 265 people came on coach trips to see wind farms and 377 people attended public meetings. Over 200 people attended open days and seven schools brought children to activity sessions. Ninety-one people contributed their opinions through semi- structured interviews and small group discussions and 259 through structured questionnaires. Over 150 got involved in using participatory methods, 433 people contacted the office, and 5,700 spoke to Awel Aman Tawe members outside of the office.

Seventeen people wrote into the papers, 50 local businesses put up posters and leaflets about the project, two local businesses put information on their website about the project and links to Awel Aman Tawe's. There were 737 hits on Awel Aman Tawe's website. Three local people did projects about Awel Aman Tawe for their college work and one local man made a video about his trip to a wind farm with Awel Aman Tawe. Thirteen local people sat on the steering group, 18 worked in paid employment for the project and over 300 days of voluntary time was contributed to the project during the consultation period alone. Fifty training courses were attended by local people.

The level of awareness about the project was extremely high and it was discussed in informal settings like pubs, clubs, even wedding anniversaries! The people that participated were from a range of social backgrounds from long-term unemployed, to professional consultants, a balance of men and women and a cross-section of age groups. The project utilised methods that would enable people less used to, or less confident about, participating in consultation exercises, to play a role.

Information such as the project leaflets and posters were disseminated across the whole consultation area. Coach trips to wind farms and presentations to community groups were similarly advertised. Structured questionnaires were carried out throughout the whole area, likewise semi-structured interviews. Events such as public meetings were held in the most central villages but were advertised throughout the area. Open Days were held in central villages (Gwaun Cae Gurwen, Upper Brynaman and Cwmllynfell) and in the villages closest to the proposed site (Rhiwfawr and Tai’rgwaith). No public meetings or open days were held in Garnant although there were more requests for community presentations there. There was less interest from people in Garnant in the coach trips (2.6% of visitors were from Garnant).

68 Some villages were better represented at consultation events than others. The highest turnout was in Tai’rgwaith public meeting with 60 people attending. Other well attended meetings were Rhiwfawr and Cwmgors with 35 and 40 respectively. The turnout in Upper Brynaman was low, and yet 33.6% of those attending coach trip were from Brynaman and over 50 people attended a presentation to the Brynaman Old Age.

Different villages took greater interest in different activities - eg people in Upper Brynaman preferred coach trips and presentations to public meetings. Rhiwfawr and Tai'rgwaith showed less interest in coach trips, but the public meetings were well attended. The results of the referendum show that on average approximately 50% of residents in villages participated. In villages that were further away (Garnant and Cwmtwrch Isaf) approximately 40% of residents voted, while in the closest villages (Rhiwfawr, Tairgwaith and Cwmllynfell) well over 50% voted. In Tai'rgwaith 82% of villagers voted.

5.1.2 Did the project respond to people's contribution? The consultation continually drew in people's ideas, concerns and opinions. In this way it helped the project to understand the criteria on which people judged the idea, to respond to any concerns in an appropriate way and to tailor the project to incorporate ideas. As such it took on a cyclical nature: disseminating information, drawing on opinions, identifying key concerns and ideas and designing, developing and disseminating further information. In order to do this, Awel Aman Tawe had to be clear that the project was not set in stone and was flexible to an extent.

Responding to concerns: As concerns were raised, Awel Aman Tawe investigated each one, developing a portfolio of issues and building up an informational resource. Information sheets were developed and disseminated. Further investigations were undertaken in cases where people felt that their concerns had not been answered. 'All questions asked were answered' (male 60), 'Well presented information', (female 31).

Defining the community : the definition of the community caused concern over the course of the project. As an area regeneration project, the steering group had designed the project in such a way that the benefits could be bro ­ ad-based. The consultation area initially covered 16 villages. However, substantial discussion and debate demonstrated that the furthest villages (Glanaman and Gurnos) were considered too far to be included. This was the view of several people in those villages themselves, (who contacted the project directly to say they felt they should not be part of the consultation area) as well as many of those in the closest villages. As a result the steering group made the decision to redefine the boundaries of the community wind farm on the basis of this opinion.

Number of turbines: A particular concern expressed regularly was that the wind farm would be huge with turbines taking over the whole mountain. Although not everyone shared this worry, it came across at every public meeting, every community group meeting, most discussions and every coach

69 trip. Therefore, the steering group ensured that the conditions for voting would make it clear that the project would be only four or five turbines.

Spending of profits: Substantial discussion revolved around how the profits would be spent, and who should control them. While Awel Aman Tawe had developed some overall guidelines and had intended on leaving detailed discussion until Phase II, it became clear that this was as important, if not more so, than the wind turbines themselves to some people. Therefore Awel Aman Tawe facilitated discussions and sought opinions on appropriate structures for distributing funds. A particular consequence of this was that while many wanted to see the funds divided between all the villages, others wanted to see a central fund to which groups could apply. On the basis of this conflict of opinion, the steering group felt that a combination of the two would be necessary. Furthermore, issues around the representation of villages on the Charitable Trust's committee led to a clearer strategy that was integrated into the ballot question.

Steering group: The steering group deliberately increased in size over the course of the consultation. Respected local people were drawn in the sit on the steering group. In particular people who had an interest in regeneration, in Renewable Energy and had lived in the area most of their life.

Referendum and other consultation methods: Although the consultation process was planned prior to its start, several methods used were tailored as a result of the consultation itself. In particular the referendum.

Referendum : The original plan of carrying out a 15% random sample survey to determine whether the project should go ahead was abandoned early on following a negative reaction from the community. It was clearly such a controversial issue that a straightforward vote was necessary, and although it required the submission of several further funding applications during the course of the consultation, it proved a worthwhile decision.

Other methods were adopted as a result of the consultation:

Open days : A series of open days were arranged towards the end of the project. This was primarily as a result of several people concerned that they couldn't make the coach trips or had missed public meetings. Furthermore, Awel Aman Tawe felt that it would be an opportunity for people to talk to members of the steering group on a one to one basis and pick up information in a different type of setting.

Photomontages : A series of three photomontages were designed and made into posters for distribution throughout the area. Awel Aman Tawe had wanted to leave this until Phase II when clearer information from an environmental impact assessment and detailed analysis from the wind speed testing could help to identify specific locations for the turbines. However, being able to see what the wind farm would look like was considered by some people to be a crucial factor in their decision-making, and consequently Awel Aman Tawe had three made up.

70 5.2 The effectiveness of the methods and approaches used. Given that the methods in the consultation aimed to involve people in contributing to making decisions several factors were important in the choice of methods and approaches:

5.2.1 Awareness-raising Awareness-raising about RE and wind farms was a crucial aspect of the consultation process. What became apparent was that where people were able to address their concerns, develop a greater understanding of the issues and feel that they were making an informed decision there was greater support for the project. As is demonstrated by the high level of participation and involvement in the project, local people were usually happy with the availability of information and scope for contributing to discussions and decisions. Encouraging this process helped to build capacity and to enthuse people about the potential for RE. In particular it helped many people to contribute to the project on the basis of information and experiences rather than hearsay and value judgements. What I enjoyed most was ‘the realisation that energy could be produced in an environmentally-friendly way without intruding into the community ’ (Female 31). 'I felt inspired by the idea of harvesting the wind and I liked the shape of the turbines. However, I would ideally prefer to look at the natural landscape' (female 49).

5.2.2 Local Base The emphasis on trust of those involved, on commitment to the area, on local experiences, values and language that flows through the whole analysis is an important factor to draw out. Much of the success of the consultation rested on the fact that it was carried out from a local base, by local people who were already part of the social fabric, and were known in the area to a degree.

With the project's emphasis on capacity building, local employment and training there was scope within the consultation period to involve a wide range of people from throughout the area in a range of activities. By the end of the year the Awel Aman Tawe team was a diverse group of local people, bringing different qualities and experiences to the project. Furthermore, their networks and knowledge of the local area and people were different. As more people got involved the more positive links were created throughout the consultation area.

This enabled the project to address the issue of trust. The gaining of the confidence of local residents was easier for those they knew and respected. Furthermore the issue of the local context is relevant here. Being part of the recent experience of the open cast, the local authority boundaries and its impact on community facilities were all a key part of gaining the confidence of local residents. Issues of language, experiences and approach of those involved were important.

71 Bi-lingual information and discussion was crucial. Many, particularly older people, felt far more comfortable talking and discussing ideas in Welsh. Just over 50% of local people contacted the office in Welsh. The impression of Awel Aman Tawe was that Welsh speakers who were able to discuss their concerns with Awel Aman Tawe in Welsh were less reserved about the project. 'Pob dymunidiad da i'r fenter. Diolch am gywnal cyfarfod dwyiethog' (trans: every good wishes to the project. Thank you for holding a bilingual meeting) (male 49).

As well as local people, a local office was important. Having an office open to the public throughout the week meant that people could contact the office, register their concerns, and get a quick response. Even though few people (27) actually came into the office as a first contact, many people were clear about where it was, or that it was within a local village. This appeared to be important as it demonstrated the local nature of the project and therefore the commitment of those involved to the area.

Over the course of the consultation, the awareness about the project and RE increased among those contacting the office. Far more people contacted the office feeling positive about the project than negative (229 to 37, the rest were neutral). More men contacted the office than women (228 to 162), and the majority of contact was made by telephone (353).

Time & Funding: Having ten months funding to carry out a consultation process was a resource rarely available in community development in the UK. Given the nature of the project (including its research remit) the time was invaluable and would have been difficult to undertake in any less time. The consultation process itself could have been done over a shorter period, although it is worth pointing out that most people take time to chew over new ideas, find out what other people think, and take up opportunities to access more information. A short consultation, where people are given very little time to absorb information and discuss it can result in a rejection of the idea. Ensuring that people were given enough information with which to discuss the idea, and the forum in which to discuss it, meant that the idea of a community wind farm in this locality required a substantial amount of time.

5.2.3 Effective Methods The complete set of methods used within the consultation process is described in Section 2. This section pulls out key methods that were felt to be particularly effective. In addition Figure 20 (on page 75) rates each method according to its potential for reaching people, for generating discussion, for drawing in ideas, for the quantity of information potentially disseminated and its cost and time implications.

In particular it is worth pointing out that the methods used facilitate information flows in a variety of directions: - Downwards: straightforward information dissemination from Awel Aman Tawe to residents - Horizontal: discussion and debate between peers - Upwards: input from residents into the project.

72 These methods were used in such a way as to enable ideas to feed in to decisions taken, or into further information disseminated etc. They formed part of a strategy for consultation rather than being isolated methods.

The coach trips stood out as being a particularly effective method of raising awareness of the realities of wind farms. It was felt important that those coming on the visits had a chance to speak to local people who lived near the wind farm and to hear 'from the horse's mouth' what it is actually like living there. This had a knock-on effect of people talking among their own circle of friends. 'I haven't seen a wind farm myself, but my neighbour went on one of your trips and she couldn't see what the problem was' (female 45). For people interested but unable to make the trips, Awel Aman Tawe gave directions to other wind farms. Many people made a point of visiting a wind farm when they were in the vicinity of one, on holiday or driving back from Cardiff. Nevertheless, many people do not leave the area and don ’t have access to transport to go to see a wind farm. So the coach trips enabled many that would not otherwise have the opportunity to see a wind farm. Furthermore, most people saw the trips as an enjoyable day out.

However, a relatively small proportion of people in the area was able or willing to go on a wind farm trip. In terms of getting information out to a large number of people, two methods proved to be the most effective:

Distributing leaflets to every household resulted in a sudden rise in the number of people contacting the office, booking a place on a coach trip and wanting more information. It was an efficient way of ensuring that every household has received information about the project. Seventy-eight percent of those interviewed said they had received information through their door. Approximately 20% of those contacting the office did so as a result of reading the leaflet that came through their door. It did not, however, ensure that everyone in the household read the leaflet or thought about the ideas. Further sets of leaflets were left in almost all shops and community spaces in the area.

The use of press and media was an important way of keeping people ’s interests up and the debate going. The media printed a range of positive and negative letters and articles about the project and about wind farms. Having the personnel to continue to send out press releases about project activities, and answering letters to the press, was vital. It was also important to invite the press to coach trips and other awareness-raising activities to ensure that they had accurate information. Sixty-nine percent of those questioned said that they had read about the project in the paper. Nearly a quarter of those contacting the office did so as a result of reading about the project in the paper.

Five public meetings that were held were positive, and two were particularly aggressive, with participants shouting and interrupting others speaking. While it was important to hold these ~ to ensure that there was a forum for individuals to publicly discuss their concerns ~ they were not as effective as the presentations that were carried out to existing groups. In other words the

73 public meeting forum wasn't conducive to facilitating open discussion. This may be due to the fact that public meetings are often tinged with conflict and usually represent an ‘us and them’ scenario. Meeting people in existing groups where participants felt comfortable with each other and were used to working together created a different environment altogether where participants felt more relaxed and in all cases an informal presentation and discussion resulted. After one public meeting, several people contacted Awel Aman Tawe to say that they had felt too uncomfortable to speak.

The Referendum was an important part of the process for Awel Aman Tawe. As a community owned and led wind farm it had to demonstrate community approval and the referendum proved to be an appropriate way of showing that. Furthermore, it influenced people's perceptions of the project and demonstrated that the people involved in the project were committed to democratic methods of decision-making. Nevertheless, it was costly and time-consuming and could have resulted in the overall project terminating at the end of Phase I.

A fuller examination of methods and their effectiveness within a Renewable Energy scheme has been written in 'Consulting Communities -a Renewable Energy toolkit' (ETSU K/BD/00236/REP/S).

* ** *** **** ***** Number of people <50 50-100 100­ 1000­ >5000 potentially reached 1000 5000 Potential for very poor average good very good generating poor discussion Potential for very poor average good very good drawing in ideas poor from community Quantity of very small medium large as much as information able to small amount amount amount possible disseminate amount Costs involved free less than £100 - £500 - more than £100 £500 £1000 £1000 Time to administer 1 hour or approx. approx. 1-3 days more than - a one-off event less half day 1 day 3 days Time to administer 1 hour or approx. approx. 1-3 days more than - ongoing less per half day 1 day per 3 days per month per per month month month month Figure 20 Ranking for table on right, showing the efficiency and effectiveness of methods of consultation.

74 Numbers Generate Draw in ideas Quantity of info Cost Time Time reached discussion one-off ongoing Leaflets ** ☆☆☆☆☆ ☆☆☆☆☆ - Posters * ☆☆☆ ☆☆☆☆ - newspapers ☆ ** ** TV & radio ☆ ☆☆☆ ** Website * ** ☆☆☆☆☆ ** Community group contact ** - ** Maps & Photomontages - ☆☆☆☆ ☆☆☆ - Videos - ** - - Email updates * ** - ** Public meeting ** ** ☆☆☆☆ - ** ** ** Community group - presentations Visits to existing RE sites ** ☆☆☆☆☆ ☆☆☆ - Open days ☆☆☆☆ ☆☆☆☆☆ - Education sessions ** ☆☆☆ - Promotional materials ☆☆☆☆ ☆☆☆ - Focus group discussions * ** ☆☆☆☆ - Semi-structured interviews * ** ☆☆☆ - Questionnaires ☆☆☆☆☆ ☆☆☆☆☆ - Community liaison committee ** ☆☆☆ ☆☆☆☆☆ ☆☆☆ leaflet with reply slip ** ☆☆☆☆☆ ☆☆☆☆☆ - Participatory methods ** ☆☆☆☆☆ ☆☆☆☆☆ - Evaluation forms ** ** * ** ** - Referendum ☆☆☆☆☆ ☆☆☆☆☆ - 5.3 Constraints to the consultation Overall the consultation worked well. Awel Aman Tawe fulfilled its objectives and reached the end of the project with enough local support to progress into Phase II. The three main constraints to the consultation have been picked up and discussed in earlier sections:

• Organised opposition (section 4) • Local media misrepresentation of the project (3.2.1) • The lack of open support from local politicians (section 3.2.2)

In hindsight, it is worth speculating on the case of Tai'rgwaith and making possible suggestions as to how the project may have done more to reassure local people, or to quell the flames of anger. - to have ensured that word didn't get out about the wind farm prior to the start of the consultation. - to make it explicitly clear to the media from the start that the wind farm was not attached to any one village. - to approach the Old Age group in Tai'rgwaith (a large respected organisation) at the start requesting a representative for the steering group. - to hold an open day instead of a public meeting at the beginning. - to print up the series of photomontages early in the project.

76 6 SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS

The increasing level of local opposition faced by wind farm developers in the UK over the last few years has led to a recognition of the importance of greater community involvement in Renewable Energy schemes and in more attention given to community consultation regarding proposed wind farm developments. According to the House of Lords Select Committee (1999) it is 'vital' that 'urgent steps are taken to cultivate better public understanding of the issues and to create a more favourable climate for new proposals'. Nevertheless, there still exists little practical guidance as to how to involve local people in the planning of a Renewable Energy scheme.

Awel Aman Tawe's overall aim is to develop a small community wind farm, which could act as a major community asset to support a programme of local regeneration. The first phase of the project was a Participatory Assessment Process designed to: • To explore the criteria on which people base their decision of whether they want to pursue the community wind farm idea or not. • To support the participation of local people in making the decision as to whether the project should go ahead.

Furthermore, a research element was integrated into the project in order to identify lessons useful to other Renewable Energy schemes. This was designed to: • To assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the consultation in supporting community involvement in RE projects in general. • To monitor how different criteria affect people's decisions. • To monitor how people's opinions change over the period of consultation. • To identify useful lessons learnt that can be disseminated to other communities and developers.

The Participatory Assessment Process adopted three main aspects of consultation: information dissemination, discussion & debate and community decision-making. They were used iteratively: information disseminated supported discussion & debate; community discussion fed into further information dissemination as well as into decisions made about the conditions for the wind farm and as to whether the project should go ahead at all.

Following nine months of consultation Awel Aman Tawe commissioned the Electoral Reform Services to administer a community referendum. Forty- eight percent of local people (4,252 people) voted either by telephone or by post (with individual security numbers to ensure no multiple voting). The results showed the community to be in favour of the idea of developing the wind farm. The results showed the community to be in favour of the idea of developing the wind farm with 57.5% voting for and 42.5% voting against.

77 The overall findings from the consultation process were that the majority of local residents were in favour of the project on the basis of the following conditions: • The wind farm will consist of 4 or 5 turbines and will be situated on the Mynydd Uchaf (y Gwryd) between the villages of Rhiwfawr, Cwmllynfell and Tai'rgwaith. • Anyone aged 16 and over, living in the 12 closest villages and the farms and small holdings on the mountain itself is entitled to become a member of Awel Aman Tawe at the cost of £1. • All profits from the electricity generated will be held by a charitable trust • The charitable trust will be managed by Trustees. Residents in each village elect their own trustee. • Funding will go to projects that generate local jobs, develop community facilities and services and respond to the needs of all age groups.

The research process monitored people's opinions seeking to identify the criteria on which they based their views, and to tease out patterns of opinions. These were not straightforward. There were no major differences in the way men and women viewed the project, nor could the closeness that someone lived to the site be considered a determining factor in the opinions they held. However, the consultation did show that all age groups, both genders, and those living near and far from the site changed their opinions in favour of the wind farm over the course of the consultation.

What was noticeable though was that certain categories of people were more likely to change their opinions. People under 30 were more likely to change their opinions and with increasing age people were less likely to change their opinion over the course of the consultation. Furthermore, in-comers to the area were more likely to change their opinion. In the case of both under 30s and in-comers to the area change was made in favour of the idea and greater informal discussion was held with friends and families over the consultation period.

Five sets of criteria were identified that local residents used in judging the project: - the potential threat of the wind farm on local livelihoods - whether the people involved are trustworthy - the potential opportunities gained by to the area from developing the wind farm - the environmental factors - the consultation process itself

Addressing these sets of criteria were a crucial part of the consultation process and discussion and debate often focused on several if not all of these aspects.

While, in general local opinion moved in favour of the project over the course of the consultation, not everyone supported the idea. Objections to the project came from one village relatively close to the site. A small group of people formed a local opposition group early on within the consultation

78 process and campaigned against the idea by undermining the project on the basis of the five sets of criteria identified above.

It would be natural to assume from the referendum results that this local opposition group had managed to substantially sway the opinions of residents in that village. However, at the very start of the consultation the majority of this village opposed the project anyway. So while it is clear that the consultation did little to encourage these residents to have confidence in the idea, it is important not to assume that it was the local opposition group that changed their opinions. The local context and past experiences of this village were key determining factors in many residents' opposition to the scheme.

Overall the findings demonstrate the value of undertaking a broad-based consultation about the proposed scheme. In particular it is worth highlighting that: - by identifying the criteria important to people, Awel Aman Tawe was able to address key concerns and feed local ideas into the scheme thereby tailoring the project to local needs. - people's opinions were formed substantially by their awareness of Renewable Energy and wind farms, by their confidence in the project's ability to provide opportunities for the area and by their own local context and informal networks.

Awel Aman Tawe addressed these issues in the Participatory Assessment Process: • Awel Aman Tawe's PAP worked well in that the methods used facilitated information flows in a variety of directions: - Downwards: straightforward information dissemination from Awel Aman Tawe to residents - Horizontal: discussion and debate between peers - Upwards: input from residents into the project. • Awareness-raising, local benefits and recognition of the local context was integrated into the consultation. • Local participation and involvement were emphasised. This increased the flow of information through informal networks, and supported a feeling of trust for those involved in the project.

Several methods were identified as particularly effective, although it is important to stress the need to see these as part of an overall strategy enabling information to flow in all three directions: • coach visits • leaflets to all households • use of the media • community presentations • referendum These methods were used in such a way as to enable ideas to feed in to decisions taken, or into further information disseminated etc. They formed part of a strategy for consultation rather than being isolated methods.

79 Conclusions

On the basis of the findings, it is concluded that the consultation was a valuable exercise, in that: • as a result of the consultation people generally moved in favour of the project, and the referendum results should that a majority of local people supported the idea of the wind farm; • it helped to tailor the project to the local context, and identify appropriate benefits and opportunities for the local area; • it raised awareness of the issues of Renewable Energy in general and wind farms in particular across all ages and types of people in the area.

There are key issues worth reiterating. These pick up on the main themes of the preceding discussion:

Awareness Raising:

• Place an emphasis on awareness raising about issues relating to Renewable Energy and wind farms. It was apparent from the consultation that the greater awareness people had of the issues, the more likely they were to support the idea. This applied to the wind farm itself as well as to other aspects of the project (eg. community ownership, RE in general, potential benefits and spin-offs from the wind farm).

• Make sure information is accessible, consistent, up-to-date and relevant. Supporting people with information was a major part of awareness-raising within the consultation. Without enabling people to access information, or responding to people's specific requests for information, residents would have been be unable to discuss the project in an informed manner - thereby paving the way for ill-informed rumours and suspicion. It is important that residents can access this information easily, and that it is readily understandable.

• Inform people about the broader context. From residents' comments, letters to the papers and issues brought up in discussions it was evident that the broader issues like the weather, the national media, the fuel crisis etc had an impact on residents' views of the project. Elucidating the links between the proposed scheme and broader relevant issues gives the project credibility, and can help residents to become aware of the increasing demand and climate for Renewable Energy,

Local Benefit

• Identify the ways in which the local area could benefit from the proposed scheme. There are a variety of ways in which communities can benefit from the development of a Renewable Energy scheme. Awel Aman Tawe has proposed a range of benefits contributing to local area regeneration. In a lot of Danish schemes communities get cheaper electricity, in other schemes

80 local shareholders get dividends on their investments. The wind turbines at Swaffham and Delabole attract tourists, and other schemes deliver electricity to key services such as schools and industrial estates. These are all very real benefits and should be integrated into the scheme.

• Plan and implement the project in such a way that local benefits are realised. Benefits rarely 'just happen'. The process towards attaining benefits and opening up opportunities needs to be integrated into the project. This should be done from the start, at the planning stage, rather than as an add-on when planning permission is looking unlikely.

Local context

A consultation process is not a matter of presenting an idea to a blank sheet, or discussing an idea in a vacuum. Communities are not homogeneous, harmonious bodies of people. Within communities are relationships and factions, histories and boundaries, hostility and love. They are complex networks with no simple formula for understanding, analysing or working with. However, there are basic rules that people who work in communities tend to adopt and there are certain methods of approaching communities that are tried and tested. Importantly, when a new idea is discussed in a community it is not considered in isolation from the background of issues and relationships that exist. It runs along existing channels, it is argued about along existing fault lines and will be compared to existing issues and problems. Therefore a certain amount of background social data is crucial to a successful community consultation.

• Recognise the importance of the local context and past experiences on people's opinions. Local experiences influence people's opinions significantly. The controversy regarding the Awel Aman Tawe wind farm in many ways rested on local experiences of the coal industry, with justifications for and against the project based on the pros and cons of coal mining in the area. While a substantial amount of people compared the clean energy of wind turbines with the dirt, dust and pollution of coal, some people referred to the way they had been treated by open cast companies.

In many respects the development of open cast in the area was an extremely disempowering process, with memorable protests and substantial opposition. The lack of respect for residents' concerns and limited contribution to the local area were issues that were brought up many times throughout the consultation and for some people justified their lack of trust of the wind farm project.

Although it can be stated that the wind farm has nothing to do with the open cast coal mining in the area, it did affect people's opinions of the project, as did other experiences e.g. the current farming crisis. It was extremely important to listen to people's experiences in order to: - to understand their concerns ;

81 - to demonstrate that the project was committed to issues of local importance; - to show respect for residents' experiences; - identify issues of local importance in order to talk about the project in relevant terms;

• Recognise the importance of social networks. The influence of social networks (in particular friends and family) cannot be underestimated. Controversial issues spread through neighbourhoods like wildfire. With clear information channels throughout the area, and the involvement of local residents, informal networks can be a valuable route for information dissemination and forums for discussion.

Local involvement

• Recognise Communities as Key Stakeholders in the development of RE. Communities are powerful, not just having the power to object and resist ideas but having the power to support, develop and possibly own RE schemes. In seeing communities as stakeholders, they are not viewed simply as obstacles but as potential catalysts for change.

• Involving local people strengthens RE projects. Drawing on the experiences of community development across the world, there are countless examples that show that where residents are actively involved in local planning, the overall satisfaction with services and facilities is particularly high. By involving local people the scheme can be strengthened in a variety of ways (Reassurance and trust, awareness, tailoring the project, monitoring the project).

• Involving local people contributes towards Local Agenda 21 objectives. Local Agenda 21 (a strategy for implementing the ‘think globally, act locally ’ commitment made at the Earth Summit in 1992) stresses the value of local participation in local matters. By addressing issues in an integrated fashion, LA21 highlights that sustainability is not uni-sectoral. Greater local involvement in planning and implementing renewable energy schemes increases the potential for them to contribute to local sustainable development.

• Involving local people is cost effective. A well-planned and implemented strategy for involving local people can not only facilitate the progress of individual schemes, but also support local sustainable development and generate positive examples of successful RE schemes. If as much rigour were to be applied to the social aspects of RE schemes as were applied to the technical and environmental aspects it is suggested that the progress of applications through planning would be made substantially easier and ultimately less costly. If this were undertaken as a rule in areas where RE projects were proposed, it would support the overall image (and probably the progress) of the RE industry. Therefore greater local involvement represents a strategic move. 'The slower the developer goes and the more talking, consultation and

82 involvement they have with the local community, the more likely it is that success follows'. (Larke 1993)

• How much local involvement? In order to involve local residents in RE schemes, there needs to be a clear sense of the objectives of involving people. There are essentially four levels on which residents could be involved: - consultation - local people can be drawn in to discuss a proposed scheme. - benefits - local communities can benefit from the scheme. - decision-making - local people can be empowered to make decisions within a proposed scheme, or even to decide whether it should go ahead at all. - ownership and management - local people can either fully or part own the scheme and therefore continue to be involved in the management and decision-making.

These represent increasing levels of involvement and control over the project. Care should be taken when developing a strategy to be clear about the level of involvement and the process by which that involvement should take place.

• Democratic decision-making It was agreed early on in the Awel Aman Tawe consultation that the process of deciding whether the project should go ahead would be via a community referendum. In fact, residents at the first public meeting, demanded it. While this posed a high risk in terms of the project's progress through to the next phase, it was an appropriate decision for the project for the following reasons: - It was an empowering process and recognised as such by residents, particularly important in the light of experiences with the open cast. - The level of local participation in the referendum demonstrated the level of feeling in the area about the project. - The decision to go ahead with the project has been taken by local residents who consequently feel a sense of ownership over that decision. - Some people, during the course of the consultation, claimed to be waiting for a positive result from the referendum before supporting the project.

Given that the referendum showed a majority in favour of the project it paved the way for a legitimate community wind farm, and consequently supports the project in its application for planning permission as well as for funding for both area regeneration and RE projects.

Opposition

UK communities have demonstrated that there is significant opposition to Renewable Energy schemes. As they become more familiar to people this will change, but not over night, and inevitably there will continue to be a level of opposition, as there is to any change.

83 The demands of the local action group took up a lot of AAT time during the consultation. This was partly through meeting their requests for detailed information, and partly through the need to correct some of the misinformation that they were putting about. Furthermore, the controversy fanned by the local media gave great weight to the views of this minority group.

• Recognise the tactics of opposition and target information accordingly. The way the opposition campaigned against Awel Aman Tawe was to undermine the project on five accounts: - the people involved in the project - the consultation process - the wind farm itself - the potential benefits to the area - the broader issues of RE and the environment. It was important to demonstrate that Awel Aman Tawe could provide appropriate information on all of these issues to reassure residents of the project.

• Remember that it is a minority of residents that oppose Renewable Energy schemes A lot of surveys have been carried out in the UK regarding public opinions of wind farms. These have shown clearly that the majority of people support the idea of Renewable Energy as well as their local wind farm. The tactics used by those opposing wind farms can fuel residents' fears and increase opposition to a proposed scheme. Nevertheless, those willing to actively campaign against a Renewable Energy are a minority. There are thousands of other people whose information needs are equally valid, therefore information needs to be spread widely. With information and consultation a local action group has less influence at a local level and is less likely to convert people to their cause.

• Acknowledge the impact of an opposition group. In many cases the development of local opposition groups has contributed to the delay or rejection of planning permission. The consequent costs of Renewable Energy schemes are increasing, and investment in proposals is becoming more high-risk. Involving local residents is a valuable move. But even in cases where participation and local involvement is a priority (like in Awel Aman Tawe's project) opposition is still inevitable.

Awel Aman Tawe identified positive and negative impacts of the development of a local action group: Negative impacts: - Upsetting and demoralising - Created a rift of us and them - Intimidating to other residents in the area who consequently found it difficult to partake in the consultation activities - Fuelled fears and raised concerns

Positive impacts:

84 - Enabled residents in the community to see Awel Aman Tawe's transparency and rigor - Gained support from many local people who didn't want to be associated with the opposition group - Helped to define project priorities - Helped to bond those involved in the project: - Kept up the debate and interest in the area

• Stay calm and do not get defensive. It is a natural and tempting reaction to become defensive when faced with implacable and aggressive opposition. However, it does not support the project to be drawn into this kind of argument. It is important not to show frustration in public and to keep cool. This applies at all levels of discussion about Renewable Energy. In Awel Aman Tawe public meetings it was demonstrated that by keeping calm, those opposed to the project became frustrated, angry and aggressive. This lost them public support.

• Ensure that word does not get out about the proposed scheme prior to the start of the consultation. Rumours are very damaging and can lead to residents opposing the project before they know much about it. The first impressions that people have about the project can be long-lasting and passed on throughout informal networks like Chinese whispers. It is crucial that the first residents hear about the project is positive, informative and consultative.

Consultation Process 10

• Think strategically. In the development of a consultation plan, it is wise to think strategically: do not use different forms of media indiscriminately, think through the most appropriate times and places for activities, use information appropriately, target specific audiences for certain types of information. And particularly importantly, integrate consultation activities carefully with the other aspects of the project. There is little point in carrying out costly technical and environmental assessments if at the end there is such a backlash of local opposition that influences the planning procedure in a negative way. Equally, however, there is no point in raising expectations and using up local people ’s time and energy if there are no suitable sites in the locality.

• Plan and implement a consultation strategy appropriate to the proposed scheme. 1. Integrate social and technical aspects from the start

10 Further guidance on developing and implementing a consultation strategy has been written up in 'Consulting Communities - a Renewable Energy toolkit' (ETSU K/BD/00236/REP/S).

85 2. Involve experienced community practitioners in the development and implementation of the strategy 3. Identify the objectives for the consultation 4. Identify the main activities and methods for consultation 5. Identify informational requirements 6. Identify the logistics for the consultation 7. Identify constraints and obstacles to the consultation process 8. Identify the process for feeding ideas into the RE scheme itself 9. Identify indicators for evaluating and monitoring the consultation 10. Develop a schedule

• Utilise three directions of information flow in the consultation process: - Downwards: straightforward information dissemination from Awel Aman Tawe to residents - Horizontal: discussion and debate between peers - Upwards: input from residents into the project.

These methods can be used in such a way as to enable ideas to feed in to decisions taken, or into further information disseminated etc. They should be integrated so as to form part of a strategy for consultation rather than being isolated methods.

• Encourage and facilitate discussion and debate about a proposed scheme in informal as well as formal settings. Discussion takes place about local issues in all sorts of venues and on all sorts of occasions. Make sure that people have enough information to carry out an informed informal discussion at the school gates or over a pint.

• Maintain an active use of the local media In spite of some of the problems with using the media (identified in section 3.2), the local papers serve a crucial role in information dissemination. The level of media interest in the project contributed to the level of discussion and debate throughout the area. It also served to be a valuable mode of information dissemination for the local action group, and as such requires strict monitoring. In particular it is important to: - maintain good relationships with media correspondents. - send regular press releases to keep residents updated. - respond quickly to letters in the papers.

• Feed local ideas into the project Throughout the Awel Aman Tawe consultation local residents contributed valuable ideas about the project. The process itself helped to identify conditions on which basis the project would go ahead. Furthermore, the consultation drew out all sorts of ideas about potential spin-offs and smaller projects that could be developed in partnership with Awel Aman Tawe. Some ideas from local residents were: the development of a solar club, energy efficiency programme, eco-consultancy, school organic gardens and composting. AAT works in partnership with various local organisations, and is feeding these ideas through various forums to assess the potential for implementing them.

86 A consultation strategy should identify aspects of the project to which local residents can contribute. Clear channels of communication should exist whereby these contributions can feed into the proposed scheme. Respect local people's knowledge, experiences and skills, and do not ask for ideas if there is no scope for altering the scheme.

87 88 Acknowledgements Awel Aman Tawe would like to acknowledge and thank the following people and organisations for their support and contributions to the project so far:

Awel Aman Tawe Steering Group Ken Maddocks (Chair), Pete West, Roy Evans, Helen Davies, Rhys Maddock, Sonia Reynolds, Idwal Griffiths, Pearl Jeffers, Emily Hinshelwood, Jenny Morris, Dorian Stonehouse, Eleri Chilcott, Jonny Morris and Simon James

Researchers and Volunteers Carl Richards, Nicola Notman, Sam Doubtfire, Sian Williams, Ceri West, Sue Raven, Sally Hennem, Linda Williams, Natalie Williams, Dianne Godden.

Project Partners Amman Valley Enterprise Centre for Development Studies, University of Wales, Swansea West Wales Eco Centre

Donors New and Renewable Energy Programme, Department of Trade and Industry JIGSO Shell Better Britain Campaign Environmental Goods and Services Programme, WDA Prince's Trust Cymru Hyder Welsh Language Board

Other companies, organisations and individuals Jan Sanders, OPET Cymru Dulas, Machynlleth Tim Kirby, Ecogen Friends of the Earth Cymru Swansea Energy Agency Gordon James, Pembrokeshire Energy Agency Dave Elliot, NATTA, Energy and Environment Research Unit, Open University Volunteers at Brynaman Cinema Mary Ann Brocklesby, CDS Sarah Crowther and Sarah James, CDS Alain Thomas Dr. Alix Love, Research Development Support Unit, University of Wales, Swansea Cathy Butcher Omar Sattaur Jonny Morris Patrick Devine-Wright, IESD, De Montfort University at Leicester

89 Fiona Brocklehurst, ETSU Bobby Bazalgette, Solar Solutions SarahPegg, Environment Wales Mick Bates and Cynog Dafis, NASEG Carmarthenshire Lifelong Learning Fund Peter Hinsen and Steve Macken, National Windpower Gwyndaf Thomas and Alun Phillips, Carno Howard Williams, Taff Ely Heddyr, Alun a Iona, Menter Aman Tawe Lyn Jones, prifathro, Ysgol y Waun Suzanne Waldren, George Causley, Ceri Larsen and Adrian Howells, Neath Port Talbot Council Lowri James, Ilona Williams, Dave Tanner and Emily Edgecumbe. Mrs M. Rhys Mark Williams, Black Mountain Gallery Sustainable Energy, Swansea Drummond Hislop Environment Centre, Swansea Gurwen a Lona Jones, Siop y Bont Gareth Evans Coaches and Gate Shop Garage Pete, Waun Newsagents Vickers Newsagents Alison Hill, British Wind Energy Association Border Wind RagDoll Limited Jonn Barnes Helen Temple

In particular, we would like to thank members of the community in the Upper Amman and Swansea Valley - too numerous to mention by name.

90 References Broome L. (1999) RE community schemes in Europe - relevance to the UK market, ECOTEC Research and Consulting Ltd, K/BD/00194/REP Broome L. (2000) 'Local Renewables: Projects overview' in NATTA Local Renewables Conference Report Open University, UK ETSU (1994) Community Involvement in Renewable Energy Projects - a Guide for Community Groups ETSU K/GE/00014/36/REP ETSU (1999) Commercialisation of Small Hydro through Community Participation, ETSU K/BD/00190/REP House of Lords Select Committee (July 1999) Electricity from Renewables ’ HMSO. Krohn S. (2000) Danish Wind Turbines: An industrial success story www.windpower.dk/articles/success.htm Land Use Consultants (2000) Local Agenda 21 and Renewable Energy. ETSU K/BD/00179/REP Langebach J. (1993) 'Wind Energy Co-operatives and Private Wind Turbines in the Netherlands' in One Day Workshop on Local Community Wind Energy Projects at Open University. Larke C. (1993) 'Setting up local community wind energy projects' in One Day Workshop on Local Community Wind Energy Projects at Open University NATTA (1999) 'Windpower in the UK. What next' in RENEW Vol. IV Windpower in the UK. September 97-99 Open University, UK Taylor D. (1999) 'Windpower struggling in the UK' in RENEW Vol. IV Windpower in the UK. September 97-99 Open University, UK Toke D.(2000) Community Wind Power - the only way forward? in NATTA Local Renewables Conference Report Open University, UK Welsh Affairs Select Committee (1994) 'Wind Energy Volume 1' House of Commons

Glossary AM Assembly Member CJ Carmarthenshire Journal MP Member of Parliament NASEG National Assembly Sustainable Energy Group PAP Participatory Assessment Process RE Renewable Energy SWEP South Wales Evening Post SWG South Wales Guardian WM Western Mail

91 92 APPENDIX A: Selection of material used This appendix includes a range of material used during the consultation and research process. All information was produced bi-lingually, but this appendix only includes the English versions. For ease of documentation, the material reproduced here is not in its original format.

A1 Structured Questionnaire: A structured questionnaire was undertaken at the start of the consultation and at the end. This was to monitor whether people changed their opinions over the course of the consultation. Additional questions were included in Part two of the questionnaire to assess the consultation process itself. In the first round, 259 people were interviewed. In the second round, the same people were returned to and 167 people were interviewed. Respondents were chosen through a random sample from the electoral registers.

A2 Checklist of Questions from semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions: This checklist of questions formed the basis of discussion for semi-structured interviews and small focus group discussions. In all cases, these questions were simply the starting point and the discussions evolved from there. Most interviews and groups lasted between an hour and an hour and a half. Thirty- eight semi-structured interviews were carried out with people who were pro and anti the project in Welsh or English as requested by the interviewee. Respondents were self-selective, and Awel Aman Tawe advertised throughout the consultation period for people interested in a full interview on their views and ideas about the project. Nine small group discussions were facilitated. These focused more specifically on the issues of concern to those participating. The groups convened were: residents from Tai'rgwaith, residents from Cwmllynfell, People who use the mountain for recreation, farms and smallholdings on the mountain, parents of school-aged children, men over 65, women over 65, women under 20, people interested in environmental issues. In order to identify people for the groups, appropriate organisations were contacted, group discussions were advertised in the local press, individual farms and smallholdings contacted, all parents were given a leaflet via the schools, and individuals that had expressed an interest in the project were contacted.

A3 Evaluation forms from the coach trips: On every coach trip, participants were asked to fill in an evaluation form. Coach trips were to Carno and Taff Ely wind farms. Eight trips were organised on which a total of 265 people attended. 154 people filled in evaluation forms on the coach visits. Similar evaluation forms were filled in at public meetings and open days.

A4 Carno Activity sheets: Several children attended the coach visits and came to the open days. Awel Aman Tawe designed a short activity sheet for children to fill in on their trip.

93 A5 Information sheets: During the course of the consultation a range of issues came up regularly, and Awel Aman Tawe developed a range of information sheets that could be disseminated easily. i) ' Who's involved in the project?' ii) 'What consultation methods have been used?' iii) 'Awel Aman Tawe's financial projections' iv) 'Find out for yourself leaflet

A6 Letter to Tai'rgwaith: Following the initial public meeting in Tai'rgwaith, a letter was distributed to every household answering the concerns raised at the meeting.

A7 Ballot paper: This details the conditions on which it was agreed that the project should go ahead. 8,810 people were sent ballot papers and 4,252 people voted either by post or by telephone in the final referendum.

94 A1 Structured Questionnaire: Reduced for ease of reproduction

Questions asked during the structured questionnaires: Part One: Questions 1-14 Part Two: All questions

1. Have you heard about the project Awel Aman Tawe Community Wind Farm? YES / NO If NO skip to question 6

2. How did you hear about the project?

3. When?

4. What do you think of the idea?

1 2 3 4 5 terrible idea bad idea no feeling good idea excellent either way idea

5. I will read out a list of statements - can you tell me which ones you would say apply to the Awel Aman Tawe project?

Awel Aman Tawe is a community project YES / NO/ NOT SURE Awel Aman Tawe is an outside company YES / NO/ NOT SURE Money has been raised to consult local YES / NO/ NOT SURE people about whether to build a windfarm Money has been raised to build a wind farm YES / NO/ NOT SURE The wind farm will go ahead whatever local YES / NO/ NOT SURE people say The wind farm will only go ahead if local YES / NO/ NOT SURE people support the project

6. Have you ever seen a wind farm? NEVER ± FROM A DISTANCE ± TELEVISION ± CLOSE UP ±

7. What do you like about wind farms? (record verbatim)

8. What do you dislike about windfarms? (record verbatim)

9. Overall what is your opinion of wind farms?

1 2 3 4 5 terrible bad no opinion good excellent

95 10. Do you think this area has anything to gain from setting up a community wind farm? YES / NO If yes, what?

11. Do you think this area has anything to lose from setting up a community windfarm? YES / NO If yes, what?

12. If a wind farm is developed would you like to see an educational centre as part of it? YES/NO

13. Could you say whether you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Windfarms should not be AGREE / DISAGREE / NOT SURE developed unless they are owned by the community

I see windfarms as an inevitable AGREE / DISAGREE / NOT SURE development

Energy produced by wind farms AGREE / DISAGREE / NOT SURE should be used locally

Windfarms should always be AGREE / DISAGREE / NOT SURE developed in partnership with local communities

Windfarms should not be AGREE / DISAGREE / NOT SURE developed at all

Windfarms should only be AGREE / DISAGREE / NOT SURE developed if profits are put back into the local community

14. Do you have any other comments?

15. Over the past 9 months, Awel Aman Tawe have been consulting people throughout the area about the idea of the community wind farm. Have you:

Been on a coach trip to see a wind farm? Been to a public meeting? Been to a presentation about the project? Received information about Awel Aman Tawe through your door? Been part of a small group discussion Looked at Awel Aman Tawe’s website? Read about the project in the paper? (once) (a few times) (regularly) Visited the office? Had any other contact with the project?

96 16. Have you heard of the Tairgwaith Action Group? YES / NO if yes: 17. Are you a member? YES/ NO

18. How do you rate the quality of the consultation?

1 2 3 4 5 extremely poor not sure good extremely poor good

19. Have you talked about the project withyour friends? YES/ NO If yes:

What do they think of the idea?

1 2 3 4 5 terrible idea bad idea no feeling good idea excellent either way idea a) I don't know what they think______b) They all have mixed opinions ______c) Some are for and some are against ______

20. Have you talked about the project withyour family? YES/ NO If yes:

21. What do they think of the idea?

1 2 3 4 5 terrible idea bad idea no feeling good idea excellent either way idea a) I don't know what they think______b) They all have mixed opinions ______c) Some are for and some are against ______

22. Have you talked about the project with the people you work with? YES/ NO If yes:

23. What do they think of the idea?

1 2 3 4 5 terrible idea bad idea no feeling good idea excellent either way idea a) I don't know what they think_____ b) They all have mixed opinions _____ c) Some are for and some are against

97 24. Do you feel proud of living in this area?

1 2 3 4 5 not proud at not proud not sure proud very proud all

25. Do you plan to vote in the coming referendum? YES/NO/Don ’t know

26. Do you think the project should go ahead? YES / NO

27. How well do the following words describe you as a person? 1 2 3 4 5 not well at not well not sure well extremely all well

28. Imaginative 1 2 3 4 5 (Someone who uses their imagination a lot)

29. Uninquisitive 1 2 3 4 5 (Someone who is not very curious about new things and ideas)

30. Philosophical 1 2 3 4 5 (Someone who thinks about and analyses ideas)

How long have you lived in this area?______

Age: ______Sex:______

Do you work? ______

What is your job? ______

98 A2 Checklist of Questions from semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions:

Language of interview: Respondent ’s name Gender: Age Village: Length of residency: Date: Time: Interviewer

1. Renewable Energy: (Knowledge and opinions) i) What is your understanding of the term Renewable Energy? ii) What forms of RE do you know of? Have you seen any RE technologies? What are the differences between RE and other forms of generating energy? iii) What would you say are the advantages / disadvantages of using RE? iv) What is you understanding of the terms: climate change, global warming, “hole in the ozone layer’? v) In what way do you feel that these environmental issues are linked to the use of RE?

2. Wind farm: (Knowledge & opinions. i) Have you seen a wind farm? (Where? When? How close?) ii) What have you heard about wind farms? (Tell us what you know? iii) Have you any reason to believe that wind farms have an effect on the environment? iv) What would you say are the advantages / disadvantages of wind farms? v) Are you in general, in favor of the development of wind farms in the UK? vi) How would you feel if a commercial developer developed a small wind farm in the UK?

3. Community ownership and control: (meaning, importance, concerns, ideas, mechanisms) i) What do you consider to be our local natural resources? ii) Who do you think should own the local resources? iii) What do you think of the local community collectively owning and controlling some of our resources? (What concerns you about this idea? What benefits could it bring?) iv) What do you think is meant by share ownership? v) How could share ownership be organised so that everyone in the community benefits?

99 4. Awel Aman Tawe project: (Knowledge, opinions, concerns, & ideas) i) What do know about Awel Aman Tawe project? ii) What do you think of the idea of the community wind farm? (concerns / expectations, etc.) iii) What do you think about the aims of the Awel Aman Tawe project? (e.g. putting money into local area, generating an environmental education centre, attracting tourists etc./ are these aims realistic ? iv) How do you think that wind farm could affect the community? v) If the wind farm goes ahead, how would you like to see it developed? (e.g. how many turbines / developed into a fully fledged environmental centre / total local control etc. etc.) - i.e. what is their vision ?

5. Potential gains and losses to the area of setting up a wind farm: (ideas, fears & opinions) i) What do you think the area could gain by setting up a community wind farm ? (This is likely to start with basics but could generate into a substantial amount of ideas. Including local employment, visitors centre and associated trade, tourism and spin offs etc.) ii) What do you think the area could lose by setting up a community wind farm? iii) What might happen if a community wind farm is set up in our area?

6. If the wind farm does go ahead - what should the profits be spent on? (ideas, mechanisms, fairness) i) If a wind farm goes ahead what would you like to see the profits spent on? ii) How do you feel that the profits should managed so that they are distributed fairly? iii) What concerns do you have about the spending of profits?

100 A3 Evaluation forms from the coach trips: Reduced for ease of reproduction

Awel Aman Tawe Evaluation Form Coach Trip Visit to: Date:

What is your opinion of the wind farm you saw today?

How did you rate its: a) Noise:

1 2 3 4 5 extremely noisy didn’t notice quiet extremely noisy noise quiet b) Visual appearance: 1 2 3 4 5 Extremely A bit Neither ugly Quite Extremely unattractive unsightly nor beautiful attractive attractive

Other comments about the wind farm:

What did you enjoy most about the visit?

What did you enjoy least about the visit?

What is you opinion of Awel Aman Tawe community wind farm project?

1 2 3 4 5 A terrible A bad idea No feeling A good idea An excellent idea either way idea

Village: Age: Male/Female:

101 102 A4 Carno Activity sheet: Reduced for ease of reproduction

Carno Wind-farm Activity Sheet There are some activities and questions for you on this sheet. Don't worry if you don't know the answers straight away! You can always ask for help. Some Top Tips: • Read the sheet carefully. • Listen carefully when you are given information. • Use your eyes and ears. • Take your time. • Work together. Two heads are better than one sometimes! • Have a good time!

Section A: First Impressions. 1. What does a wind turbine look like? Use words to describe one

2. Listen carefully, then write down all the different sounds that you can hear. 3. Draw a turbine and label the blades, the tower and the anemometer

Section B: How much do you know?

1. What does a wind turbine produce?

2 . Wind energy is "renewable". What do you think renewable means?

3 . Why do you think we need to have renewable energy?

4 . Can you think of any other kinds of renewable energy?

5 . How often do youuse electricity? What do you use it for?

6 . Where does your electricity come from?

Section C: About Carno There is a choice of answers. Write in the one you think is correct. 1. Carno is the______windfarm in the UK. (Biggest, smallest)

2. Carno has______turbines. (65, 56, 650)

3. Carno can provide enough electricity for______homes. (25, 250, 2,500, 25,000)

Section D: About your day at Carno.

1. What did you like best about Carno? Why?

2. What did you like least? Why?

103 104 A5 Information sheets: i)'Who's involved in the project?' Reduced for reproduction Who’s Involved?

Steering Group Membership of the Steering Group is voluntary. The group is responsible for overseeing the project and meets monthly. Awel Aman Tawe has three project partners who are all represented on the Steering Group: Amman Valley Enterprise; the Centre for Development Studies, University of Wales, Swansea; and the West Wales Eco Centre.

Ken Maddocks (Chair, Brynaman Uchaf), Roy Evans (Brynaman Isaf), Helen Davies (Rhosaman), Rhys Maddock (Ystradowen), Sonia Reynolds (Tairgwaith), Simon James (Cwmgors), Emily Hinshelwood - represents University of Wales, Swansea (Tairgwaith), Idwal Griffiths (Cwmllynfell), Jenny Morris (Rhydyfro farms), Eleri Chilcott (represents Amman Valley Enterprise), Pearl Jeffers (Rhiwfawr), Dorian Stonehouse (Brynaman Uchaf), Pete West - represents West Wales Eco Centre.

Employment 6 people work part time for the project during the year of consultation. Five work in the office. They are Helen Davies (Rhosaman), Sam Doubtfire (Cwmgors), Emily Hinshelwood (Tai’rgwaith), Carl Richards (Brynaman Uchaf) and Dan McCallum (Tai’rgwaith). One person does Welsh translation from home: Lowri James (Tycroes).

Short term employment Eight people have been trained in community consultation methods and have then gone on to paid employment with the project. They are Linda Williams (GCG), Susan Raven (Tai’rgwaith), Natalie Williams (Brynaman Uchaf), Dianne Godden (Abercraf), Nicola Notman (Glanaman), Sam Doubtfire, Carl Richards, Helen Davies.

Leafleting The following people have been paid to do leaflet drops regarding the project. They are: Carl Richards (Upper Brynaman), Robert Buchanen (Garnant), Angela Raven (Tai'rgwaith), Clarice Pritchard (Cwmllynfell), Chris Roderick (GCG), Kaye Roderick (GCG), Ffion and Sion Davies (Rhosaman).

Local businesses used Crescis Catering (Cwmgors), Classic Catering (Tairgwaith), Gate Shop Garage minibus hire (GCG), Waun Newsagents (GCG), Vickers Newsagents (Tairgwaith), Morgan and Morgan (Ammanford), Dynefwr Press (Llandybie), Waun Chemist (GCG), Tairgwaith and GCG post offices, GCG Primary School - office rental, Harries Signs and Graphics (Cwmrhydyceirw), Woolworths (Ammanford), Clwb Plant y Waun (GCG), Lots of Tots (Tairgwaith), Gareth Evans Coaches (Brynaman Isaf), Siop y Gomel (Brynaman Uchaf), Fforestwr - van hire (Tairgwaith), Brynaman Public Hall, Amman Valley Enterprise - photocopying (GCG), CKs (GCG), Siop Penybont (Brynaman Uchaf), Brynaman Builders (Brynaman).

105 106 ii) 'What consultation methods have been used?' This was disseminated approximately half way through the consultation process. It has been reduced for ease of reproduction

Methods used during the Participatory Assessment Process

Participatory Appraisal: A group of 10 experienced community development practitioners spent 3 days at the start of the project undertaking a participatory appraisal with local residents to explore the Strengths and weaknesses of the area. Another group will spend three days at the end of the consultation undertaking a participatory appraisal specifically related to opinions of the wind farm idea, and developing a set of indicators to evaluate the project ’s success.

Interviews: a random sample of 259 residents throughout the area were interviewed at the start of the project to gauge their opinions on RE, the idea of a wind farm and what they thought it could contribute to the area. They will be revisited prior to the referendum to see if their opinions have changed.

Coach trips: over 250 people have been on 7 coach trips to visit a wind farm and have been given a chance to meet people who live by the wind farm, and have their questions answered by a RE engineer. Evaluation forms are given out at the end of each coach trip.

Bi-lingual leaflets: leaflets have been delivered by hand to 6,372 households in fourteen villages

Leaflet Packs & posters: packs are situated in 80 shops and community spaces

Displays: ten permanent displays have been put up in public spaces. A mobile display has been developed and is used at all events. Each display has a comments form.

Office: an office has been set up in an accessible location. It is open 5 days a week to respond to enquiries. All contact with the office is documented.

Public events and conferences: 17 events and conferences have been attended. A mobile display has been used at each, and a comments book available for people to record their opinions.

Press coverage: over 45 articles and letters by or about Awel Aman Tawe have been published in the local press. Also, one television item and two radio items.

Contact book: A contact book has been kept to record and to monitor all telephone calls, visits, email and other contacts regarding the project.

Visits: visits have been carried out to 7 farms on the mountain near proposed site, and to all local businesses.

Community groups: a community group audit has been carried out to identify all groups in the area. Groups are sent updates on project activities. All groups have been offered to have a presentation about the project. Seven presentations have been given.

Public meetings: 7 meetings have been held so far covering 6 villages. Public meetings have included an OHP presentation on the project, a presentation of renewable energy issues by an engineer, and a question/answer session. Material on renewable energy issues is available for people to take away. Participants have been asked to fill in evaluation forms.

Development of Information Resource: research has been carried out into residents queries & a small resource of documents, books and information sheets developed. Areas that have been researched are: Impact on house prices; Impact on birds; Possible

107 complications with regard to epilepsy; Referenda and 100% household surveys; Flicker from turbines; Danger of blades falling off turbines; Danger from electro-magnetic radiation; effect on sheep, cattle and horses; effect on television reception.

In-depth interviews: 8 people have received training in carrying out in-depth interviews and facilitating focus groups. 33 hour long interviews (with people who are pro and anti the project) have been carried out. These are carried out in Welsh or English as requested by the interviewee. The interviews explore people's awareness of renewable energy and enable a fuller understanding of people's hopes and concerns with regard to the project

Small group discussions: Seven small group discussions have taken place. These cover similar themes as the in-depth interviews but focus more specifically on the issues of concern to those participating.

Welsh and English education worksheet. These have been designed to fit into the National Curriculum and are based around a visit to a wind farm. The education packs developed by Border Wind for Key Stage 1,2 and 3 have also been used.

Website: .(www.awelamantawe.co.uk ) a bi-lingual website has been developed containing information about the project, links to other relevant websites and a comments page for people to record what they think of the project

Formal & Informal networks: The project has been discussed by project staff with approximately 3,500 people

Staff and volunteers: 24 people have undertaken paid work for the project and 22 volunteers have contributed 137 days.

Training: local people has completed 50 courses with support from Awel Aman Tawe. Training providers have included Carmarthenshire Lifelong Learning Fund, Amman Valley Enterprise, Awel Aman Tawe and the University of Wales. Fifteen different courses have been followed. The courses have covered subjects such as structured and semi-structured interviewing, strategic planning, fundraising, website design, and Welsh.

A list of articles published by Awel Aman Tawe is available from the office

108 iii) 'Awel Aman Tawe's financial projections' Reduced for ease of reproduction

Financial Projections

Awel Aman Tawe is proposing 4 or 5 turbines rated at between 2.5 - 3 megawatts.

Over the course of a year wind turbines normally produce around 30% of their theoretical capacity. The calculations below are based on the average load factor being 28-30%. The calculations are worked out for a selling price of 3p and a selling price of 5p per unit.

The calculations show that the income would be between £183,960.00 per year income and £394,200.00 per year income

2.5 megawatts (4 turbines) = 2,500 kWh

Continuous equivalent = 2,500 x 28% average load factor = 700 kWh

Continuous equivalent = 2,500 x 30% average load factor = 750 kWh

Annual income = 700(750) kWh x 24 hrs/day x 365 days/year x selling price/kilowatt (3p/kilowatt or 5p/kilowatt)=

3p/kilowatt = £183,960.00 per year income (28% average load factor) £197,100.00 per year income (30% average load factor)

5p/kilowatt= £306,600.00 per year income (28% average load factor) £328,500.00 per year income (30% average load factor)

3 megawatts (5 turbines) = 3,000 kWh

Continuous equivalent = 3,000 x 28% average load factor = 840 kWh

Continuous equivalent = 3,000 x 30% average load factor = 900 kWh

Annual income = 840 (900) kWh x 24 hrs/day x 365 days/year x selling price/kilowatt (3p/kilowatt or 5p/kilowatt)

3p/kilowatt = £220,752.00 per year income (28% average load factor) £236,520.00 per year income (30% average load factor)

5p/kilowatt = £367,920.00 per year income (28% average load factor) £394,200.00 per year income (30% average load factor)

c/o Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Heol Newydd, Gwaun cae Gurwen, Rhydaman, SA18 1UN

Ffon/Tel: 01269-822954 Ffacs/Fax: 01269-825628 e-bost/e-mail: [email protected]

109 110 iv) 'Find out for yourself leaflet Reduced for ease of reproduction

Find out for yourself House prices? • Wilcon Homes, new estate near Taff Ely windfarm, Bridgend Tel: 01656 749777

Noise? • Dave Hart, Environmental Health Officer, Rhondda Cynon Taff Council, re. Taff Ely windfarm 01443 406441

Epilepsy? • National Society for Epilepsy Tel: 01494 601300

Visual Impact? • Come on a wind farm trip: 10th February or 21st February. Call us at the office: 01269-822954

Are schools and tourists likely to visit a windfarm? • Delabole Wind Farm, Cornwall:

o 350,000 visitors 1992-99

o £5.2 million visitors centre now being built, 75% EU-funded; 27 jobs initially o tel: 01840 214100 • Swaffham Wind Farm, Norfolk

o 25,000 visitor since Centre opened last year; 20 jobs o tel: 01760 726100

Are they safe? • 35,000 turbines in the world; No member of the public has ever been injured or killed at a wind farm

What about the effect on wildlife? • RSPB support windfarms • Tel: 01767 680551

Are wind farms efficient? • AAT has used 28% - 30% for the average load factor. For figures contact: Swansea Energy Agency: 01792 429000 British Wind Energy Association: 0207 402 7102

Will the vote be managed fairly? • Electoral Reform Services: a not-for-profit organisation with over 100 years experience in ballot administration will be managing the vote Tel: 020 8365 8909.

111 112 A6 Letter to Tai’rgwaith: Reduced for ease of reproduction

Tai’rgwaith Public Meeting

About 60 people came to the Community Hall on Tuesday June 20th to discuss the Awel Aman Tawe Community Wind Farm project. There were a large number of concerns brought up at the meeting which we aim to address in this letter to all houses in the village.

Many of the concerns which were raised could best be answered by coming to see a windfarm for yourself and meeting local people who live next to one. We have arranged windfarm visits on Monday July 17 th, Saturday August 5th and Sunday August 27 th. The coach will be leaving the bus shelter outside community hall at 10.20am. You ’ll be back in the village for 6. The visits are free, but you ’ll need to bring sandwiches. You ’ll have the chance to see the biggest windfarm in Britain, look over to two other wind farms about 8 miles away and talk to people from the village of Carno in the community hall there. Let us know if you ’d like to come.

Final decision as to whether the project goes ahead: there was a clear demand that a 100% vote be held in the villages nearest to the proposed windfarm site. A vote will therefore be organised in February 2001 at the end of the consultation. Everyone in Tai’rgwaith aged 16 and over will have a vote. Other villages which will have a vote will be the ones nearest and most affected by the windfarm. As you will see from the attached map, four of these villages are closer or the same distance to the proposed site as Tai’rgwaith. The exact villages which will have a vote will be decided during this year of consultation, but we think it’s important to have public meetings in other villages before a decision is made about this.

A number of people at the public meeting said they would be happy to volunteer to help in this process. We’ll be arranging a meeting later in the year for volunteers. There will be substantial amount of work involved in doing a 100% vote so please contact us if you are interested to be involved.

House prices: We have found no evidence to suggest house prices have gone down in the UK as a result of wind farms. A housing estate of 60 homes has recently been built a few hundred metres from the Taff Ely windfarm visible from the motorway at Junction 35 near Bridgend. We have spoken to Wilcon Homes and all 60 of the houses have been sold at between £74,950 - £92,000. A further 60 homes are planned to be built closer to the windfarm. The phone number of Wilcon Homes if you want to check this is 01656 749777. On the windfarm visit to Carno on Sunday, we talked to three people in the village who confirmed that house prices have continued to rise there and new houses are being built on the road upto the windfarm.

Reference was made to house prices in Denmark falling near wind farms. Most of wind farms in Denmark are community owned by the people who live next to the turbines. Wind turbines are so common that house prices would have to be falling all over Denmark! We have found no evidence to support this claim.

The Steering Group thinks that house prices would go up in the area due to profits from the sale of electricity being spent here on broad-based community projects.

First set of questionnaires: this was undertaken in April. 259 people were interviewed out of the total local population of 13,500. 52% of respondents were female, 48% male. The youngest respondent was 17 and the oldest was 87. 45% of people interviewed have lived in the area all their life.

The aim of this research was to find out what people thought of the windfarm project before the community consultation begins. The research is a condition of our funding from the

113 Department of Trade and Industry and other donors. They want to know whether consultation - public meetings, coach trips to see wind farms, interviews, talking to people who live near wind farms - affects people ’s view of wind farms. 259 people is about 2% of the local population - such a sample gives a fair community view. A random sample was used - every 25th person on the electoral role. 12 people in Tai’rgwaith were interviewed. If you would like to see the way the selection was done, please contact the office. This first piece of research has no affect on the final decision as to whether the project goes ahead.

In summary, key findings were that 32% of respondents had heard of the project. Of them 43.5% think that it is a good or excellent project, while 24% think that it is a bad or terrible project. Opinions are spread across villages, across age groups and across genders. Only one village (Tai’rgwaith) in particular stands out as seeing it as a bad project with 66% of respondents saying it was a bad or terrible idea. Generally people who had seen a wind farm were more positive about wind farms in general and about Awel Aman Tawe in particular. A significant proportion of respondents maintained that they didn ’t know enough about wind farms or the idea of Awel Aman Tawe to comment. A fuller Research Report has been written detailing the analysis which is available from the office.

Wind speed testing: planning permission has been granted for a testing mast to collect one year of data. Data has to be collected over a full year in order to measure wind speed during each season - wind affects how much electricity can be generated and therefore the exact income. The wind speed testing is important - if the community agrees that Awel Aman Tawe does go ahead, there is no point if the wind speed is not high enough over the full year.

Shares: There was a concern expressed at the meeting that people would sell their shares to a big developer as happened in the 1980s with privatisation of the public utilities.

Shares in Awel Aman Tawe would be worth about £1. One share can be owned per person. A share gives the right to vote for the Trustees of Awel Aman Tawe Charitable Trust. They do not bear any dividend. No one outside the area would have any interest in buying shares, as the money has to be spent in the Upper Amman and Swansea Valleys under charitable law. There would be about 10 trustees - we could look at system whereby one trustee is appointed from each village in order to ensure that villages such as Tai’rgwaith, with proportionally few electors, are fairly represented. There could also be an Ombudsman appointed to oversee that the income is properly spent across the whole area. Trustees would also be accountable to the Charity Commission.

Birds: there was a concern that the figures presented on birds were not accurate. Our figures come from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). RSPB are supportive of further windfarm development as long as they are not on major migratory routes. Far more birds are killed by cars or electricity pylons than by wind farms. RSPB can be contacted on 01767 680551. If you want to see the impact of wind farms on wildlife, come on a windfarm trip.

Viability of attracting businesses to the area with cheap electric to a local industrial estate: clearly, it is difficult to attract businesses to industrial estates such as Cwmgors or Abernant which are a long way from the M4 corridor. Yes, ground rents and insurance are still high. However, there are already a number of small businesses in Cwmgors and Abernant. Cheap electric would make it easier for them to survive. If a company has an annual electricity bill of about £4,000, they would save about £1,805 by buying electric at 4.5p/unit from Awel Aman Tawe rather than 8.2p/unit from SWALEC. This is a significant saving. The charge of 8.2p/unit will be introduced by SWALEC for all business customers from April 2001 when all electricity suppliers will have to add 0.4/unit to their business charges under the Climate Change Levy. However, electricity from renewable (i.e. a wind farm) is exempt from this levy as they are non-polluting. We need to look into this issue more closely during the year, but we don ’t think it is an unreasonable aim of the project.

Noise: come and see a windfarm for yourself or ask someone who has been on one of our visits. Ask people in Carno who live next to a windfarm and about 8 miles from two others.

114 Windfarm on the Black Mountain: planning regulations prevent any new development within the National Park. If a windfarm were built there it would be clearly visible from Tai’rgwaith especially when the East Pit tips are removed.

Wind farm visits: some people were concerned that visits were only be arranged in the summer. There will also have visits over the winter till February next year. Members of the Steering Group have visited wind farms in the winter and have found that the noise of the wind or trees blowing masks any additional noise caused by the turbines turning faster.

Tourism: the claim was made that wind farms are not tourist attractions and that a windfarm in Devon had had ‘flash in the pan ’ tourism which has not been sustained. We have checked this claim and the windfarm in question is almost certainly Delabole in Cornwall which has received more than 350,000 tourists from April 1992 to the end of 1999. We have spoken to the owners, Peter and Liz Freeman who told us they are now developing a full visitors centre on renewable energy in order to cope with the number of tourists. They have received significant grant income to do this and the centre will contain demonstrations and displays of all forms of renewable energy, a conference centre, a restaurant, a resource centre for schools and other groups, a shop selling renewable energy related products such as solar watches and wind-up radios. The visitors centre is a £5.6 million project which has been 75% funded from European grants. Between 100,000 and 150,000 visitors and school groups are expected to visit the centre per year which opens in June. Their phone number is 01840 214100.

The Visitors Centre and wind turbine at Swaffham, Norfolk is another case. Over 25,000 visitors have been there since it opened last year. 20 people are employed in the Centre with more casual staff taken on over the summer. It was featured on Blue Peter in April. The phone number is 01760 726100.

Will there be more than 4 or 5 turbines in the future? Not under the Awel Aman Tawe project unless the community approves and the necessary finance raised.

We cannot say whether a commercial developer would put more wind turbines on/near the site in the future. However, if we already have a community-owned windfarm, we are in a stronger position to negotiate further community benefits from a commercial developer. The village of Carno is very happy with the £12,000 they are receiving as a community grant fund from National Windpower who own the site there. People in Carno are very aware that Awel Aman Tawe is a real opportunity for our area. The Chair of the Grant Fund said to the coach party last Sunday “You in the Amman Valley have the chance to be masters of your own destiny. ”

The site behind Tai’rgwaith has already been looked at by a commercial developer three years ago. It is likely that over the next 25 years, there will be further interest given the increasing level of government support of renewable energy and that it is a viable site with good access and existing overhead cabling.

Job Creation: it was suggested that wind farms do not create jobs. There are 20,000 employed in the renewable energy industry in Denmark where is the third biggest employer. Cambrian Engineering in Bangor makes the towers for wind turbines and employs 60 people. They feel very strongly that Wales has potential to develop manufacturing capacity for renewables. Their telephone number is 01248 370248.

It is true that few jobs are created in the maintenance of the wind turbines when they are up and running.

The jobs proposed in the Awel Aman Tawe project would come from the Environmental Education Centre, small firms being attracted to an industrial estate by cheap electricity and by the spending of the Charitable Trust on community projects which would itself create more jobs. Awel Aman Tawe has employed 13 local people so far which should have

115 increased to about 20 by the end of the year. Training opportunities and employment have been advertised in the press and at the Job Centre in Garnant and Ammanford.

We hope to have answered some of the concerns in this letter. The Steering Group all live in the area and we would not be spending time on this if we did not feel it will benefit the villages. If you have further concerns, please contact the office. This is the beginning of the year of consultation so the process is not set in stone. Again, the best way to find out more is to visit a windfarm. Please ring the office to book your seat.

c/o Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Heol Newydd, Gwaun cae Gurwen, Rhydaman, SA18 1UN

Ffon/Tel: 01269-822954 Ffacs/Fax: 01269-825628 e-bost/e-mail: [email protected]

116 A7 Ballot paper: English text reproduced for information. Not original version

Awel Aman Tawe Community Wind Farm Referendum

BALLOT PAPER

You may vote by Post or Telephone using the Security Codes printed below

Security Code Part 1 Security Code Part 2

FOR BALLOTING OPTIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS, PLEASE SEE OVERLEAF

For residents of Rhiwfawr; Cwmllynfell; Tai’rgwaith; Cwmtwrch; Ystradowen; Cefnbrynbrain; Rhosaman; Brynaman Uchaf; Brynaman Isaf; Gwaun Cae Gurwen; Cwmgors; Garnant; farms and houses on the mountain

Awel Aman Tawe will only go ahead on the basis of these conditions:

1. The windfarm will consist of 4 or 5 turbines and will be situated on the Mynydd Uchaf (y Gwryd) between the villages of Rhiwfawr, Cwmllynfell and Tai’rgwaith. 2. Anyone aged 16 and over, living in the villages listed above, is entitled to become a Member of Awel Aman Tawe at the cost of £1. 3. All profits from the electricity generated will be held by a charitable trust. 4. The charitable trust will be managed by Trustees. Residents in each village elect their own Trustee. 5. Funding will go to projects that generate local jobs, develop community facilities and services and respond to the needs of all age groups.

Please place a cross ‘x’ in ONE box only below

Taking the above into account, do you support the development of the Awel Aman Tawe community wind farm?

a) Yes □ b) No □

117