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The myth of 'Wind Farm price erosion'

There is no clear relationship between the proximity of a wind farm to a property and its price says the latest research from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors...

This report contradicts earlier research carried out in an effort to determine exactly how wind farms affect the property market.

The study for RICS which was made by Peter Dent and Dr Sally Sims of Oxford Brookes University, UK, was carried out on a number of sites in Cornwall.

Despite initial evidence that there was an effect, when they investigated more closely, there were generally other factors which were more significant than the presence of a wind farm.

Insofar as there was any impact on prices, the results seem to show that it is most noticeable for terraced and semi-detached houses, with there being a significant impact on properties located within a mile of a wind farm.

The effect seems much less marked – if at all – for detached houses.

The research also highlighted that, to some extent, wind farm developers are themselves avoiding the problem by locating their developments in places where the impact on prices is minimised, carefully choosing their sites to avoid any negative impact on the locality.

However, the findings were last night dismissed as “worthless” by one Suffolk pressure group, who opposed moves to build a six 100m turbines at Parham, near Framlingham.

John Constable, of NOWAP (No Windfarm at Parham), said “Very few wind farms have been built near to people's houses so it's difficult to know what impact they have on prices.”

“Until there's more experience about this I think surveys like this are worthless,” he added.