Letters
D-Day beach: turbines 'forever change nature and atmosphere'
Site significantly impacted by the installation of a large commercial wind farm, says reader
To the Editor,
Thank you for reporting on the UNESCO World Heritage status for the Normandy landing beaches.
It is highly ironic, however, that despite this designation these important memorial sites are in the process of being significantly impacted by the installation of a large commercial wind farm located just 10km offshore of Juno Beach at Courseulles-sur-Mer (Calvados).
The foundations of the 64 “giant” (their term) wind turbines (175m or about 60 storeys high) are currently being installed. The site is to be operational sometime next year.
The array is to cover an approximately 50km² area in the very place where many troop ships anchored to launch landing craft, waters in which so many of our allied soldiers lost their lives even before reaching the beaches.
My husband and I visited a site at a similar distance from shore in Canada recently.
The wind turbines there were not as high, only 125m, but, at 10km, were shockingly close and very visually invasive.
All along our British and Canadian landing beaches, and beyond, one will not be able to look out into the Channel without having the wind farm in one’s immediate field of vision.
It will forever change the nature and atmosphere of those beaches.
J.C., Ottawa, Canada and Montignac-Lascaux, Dordogne
Do you agree that wind turbines can spoil a view? Let us know at letters@connexionfrance.com
