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Thanks - for once - to the planning regulations and to Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks. They have restored some of my faith in British Government.

Was Whinash in scale with the landscape? No, in my opinion. Turbines, surely, should be no taller than the tallest local tree. Show me a tree on Shap Fells that is 375 feet high and I'll let you build a turbine that size next to it.

Would it have closed a power station or "saved the planet"? No. Would it have made a powerful statement about British green energy? Maybe.

Would I like it if every house in my neighbourhood had its own mini turbine? Yes. There are lots of "mini" green energy sources that together could contribute to personal usage and to the National Grid. Energy saving appliances and habits should all be encouraged, just as house insulation has been encouraged for the last 20 or so years.

Think broader rather than bigger; many small inputs instead of a few spectacularly large ones. We might well decide to put up our own "house turbine" or solar panel!