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Reference

Surveys

Lambrigg Residents Survey

RBA Research, April 2002

This survey carried out among people living near to the five 43 metre wind turbines on the outskirts of Lambrigg, near Kendall in Cumbria, showed an unequivocal high level of support for this wind farm. Almost three-quarters (74%) of people questioned say that they support their local wind farm, including 37% who say they support it strongly. Opposition to the project is very low, with only 8% of residents saying that they oppose it.

Interestingly, of those residents who opposed the Lambrigg wind farm when they first heard about it, only one in four remain opposed and more than half are now firmly in support. This finding is echoed in all surveys carried out in wind farm locations: support for wind power schemes tends to be higher among people who have direct experience of an operating wind farm.

Winners of a National Wind Power drawing competition enjoy being guests of honour at the opening of Lambrigg Wind Farm, Cumbria, in September 2000

The Survey

RBA Research was commissioned by National Wind Power Limited to conduct an independent, objective and dispassionate survey among the residents living near to Lambrigg wind farm in Cumbria. The key objective of the research was to gauge public opinion towards the scheme and its impact, if any now that it has been in operation for sixteen months.

Between 5-11 January 2002, 234 face-to-face interviews were carried out with people living near the Lambrigg Wind Farm. These included residents from the towns and villages of Lambrigg, Docker, Grayrigg, New Hutton, Old Hutton, Killington, Firbank, Lowgill, Sedbergh, Kendall, Oxenholme and Burneside.

All fieldwork and data processing was carried out by RBA Research.

Summary of main findings

  1. Nine in ten residents surveyed (88%) say they are concerned about environmental issues and, among those aware of renewable energy options, 93% are in favour of electricity being generated by renewable sources of energy.
  2. Three quarters (77%) of those surveyed support the development of wind power schemes in Great Britain, and only 7% are opposed.
  3. Familiarity with the Lambrigg Wind Farm is high. Almost all residents (99%) know that it is there, and 88% have either seen it from the road or have visited the site via the public footpath.
  4. Support for the Lambrigg Wind Farm is very high - three quarters (74%) of local residents support it, including 37% who say they support it strongly, and only 8% are opposed. One in five local residents (18%) have no opinion either way.
  5. Of the 68% who have seen the Lambrigg Wind Farm from the road, 74% support it. Among the 20% who have visited the site via the public footpath, 87% support the wind farm (59% say they 'strongly support' it).
  6. When local residents are asked, without prompting, to name the good things about the Lambrigg Wind Farm, the most frequently mentioned benefit is that the wind farm is good for the environment and non-polluting (34% say this). One in five (19%) spontaneously say that the wind farm is a positive addition to the landscape (aesthetically pleasing). Only 9% of those surveyed say there are no benefits.
  7. Nine in ten residents (89%) describe the location of the Lambrigg Wind Farm as 'good' or 'acceptable', including 51% who think it is a 'good' or 'very good' location.
  8. Seven in ten (71%) think that the Lambrigg Wind Farm has had no effect on the number of people visiting the area. A significant number (14%) say they don't know what the impact has been. More than one in ten (11%) believe that the number of visitors to the area has increased, while fewer than one in twenty (just 3%) think that visitor numbers have gone down.
  9. Residents were asked how they think the wind farm fits in with the countryside, as we know from previous research that the 'look' of wind farms tends to be the only significant concern. Seven in ten (71%) think the wind farm is 'acceptable' in the countryside, including 24% who think it makes the scenery 'more interesting'. Less than a third (29%) think the wind farm 'spoils the scenery'.
  10. Opposition to the Lambrigg Wind Farm is very low - as mentioned earlier, only 8% are opposed. Furthermore, of those residents who say they opposed the Lambrigg Wind Farm when they first heard about it, only one in four (26%) remain opposed now, with more than half of these initial opponents (60%) now supporting the Lambrigg Wind Farm.

Find out what people really think! Read comments made by visitors to the Lambrigg wind farm Open Day.