THE power giant that wants to build a windfarm on scenic countryside has been accused of “bribing” people to go to meetings to hear them promote their plans.

Energy company npower renewables paid invited guests £30 each to attend their public consultation meeting at Balfron High School, in June. They also paid the same cash amount for people to attend a similar meeting in March last year.

Campaigners against proposals to build a windfarm on Ballindalloch Muir, in West Stirlingshire revealed the cash incentive as they step up their campaign against what they describe as “monster wind turbines that will destroy the beauty of the Endrick Valley”.

The energy company wants to build nine 125-metres high wind turbines a mile-and-a-half east of Balfron and south of Buchlyvie. But villagers have formed EVAG - Endrick Valley Action Group – to fight the windfarm proposals, which they say will have a negative visual impact on the countryside.

Campaigners also fear low-frequency noise from the windfarm could affect the health of more than 1000 youngsters who attend the local nursery, primary and secondary schools in Balfron less than a mile-and-a-half away. And they point to npower’s own website which shows on a map that the schools will be affected by the noise from the turbines.

EVAG secretary, Mary Young, from Balfron – who received £30 from npower -  said: “The so-called public consultation process by npower is a sham. They paid invited guests £30 to go along to two meetings to hear people from the company tell us how wonderful this windfarm would be. It is tantamount to bribing people to come along to hear them try to persuade us that their monstrosities on our countryside would be a good thing.

“A few days before the meeting on June 12, npower met with representatives from Balfron, Buchlyvie and Arnprior community councils where there was an almighty row and we forced them to allow members of the public to attend as well as those they had invited.”

She added: “The npower company claim they had public support for their windfarm after their last meeting, but nothing could be further from the truth. I have spoken to people who said they only went along to the meeting so they could get £30.”

Another resident who was given £30 by npower is Gary Scott, of Greek Thomson Road, Balfron, who said: “It was the first time I had heard about a windfarm and of course I was happy to take their money. But I wasn’t impressed with their presentation or the depth of the information we were getting.”

Mrs Catriona Devine, of Strathview Terrace, Balfron added: “I went to the npower meeting in June and was given £30. It was definitely an incentive for a lot of people to go there and get £30 for nothing.

“You can’t describe it as anything else as a bribe to get people to go to the meeting. Why pay people to go to a public meeting?”

Mary says that during the meeting in June, npower split the 120 people who attended into small discussion groups and played music in the school hall while they were talking about the windfarm issue.

“It was the kind of music you would get on relaxation tapes,” she says. “And I have no doubt npower were trying to control the mood of the meeting and lull people into a false sense of security with this music. They were also using the old divide and rule tactic by splitting us up into small groups.

“But for npower to say that the community wants them to get on with building the windfarm is absolute nonsense. The reality of that meeting in June was that people bombarded them with fundamental questions, which they could or would not answer properly. The company stonewalled us when we tried to get answers to our concerns.

“I felt npower were trying to give the impression that night the whole thing was done and dusted, but I have no doubt if a show of hands had been taken at the end of that meeting the vote would have gone against the windfarm being built.

“It’s far from done and dusted. The planning application for the windfarm is likely to be submitted to Stirling Council next month and we plan a very high-profile campaign to stop these monster wind turbines spoiling our community and the countryside.”
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