This is a good counterpoint to some of the noisy NIMBY controversies that have cropped up in the UK and eastern U.S. recently. Most people like wind turbines, even when they're near by.

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U.K. POLL SHOWS STRONG SUPPORT FOR EXISTING WIND FARMS

Research conducted by an academic at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in the United Kingdom shows that large majorities of people in Scotland and Ireland are strongly in favor of their local existing wind farm. Those living near the sites of proposed projects are less supportive, according to the poll.

A team led by Dr. Charles Warren of the School of Geography and Geosciences studied the perceptions and actual experiences of those with a wind farm in their “backyard” and found overwhelming support for the technology. Although people living near the site of a proposed project are usually less convinced, sizeable majorities still support their construction.

Research was carried out at several wind farms in the Scottish Borders and in Southwest Ireland. Warren established that – although people expected a range of negative impacts – these fears were not realized. In most cases, people found that their worries about landscape impacts and noise were unfounded, with surprising numbers even finding the wind farms a positive addition. These findings are consistent with similar surveys of people living near wind farms.

Several hundred people were interviewed at Dun Law and Black Hill in the Scottish Borders, and Currabwee, Milane Hill, Beenageeha, and Tuarsillagh in Southwest Ireland. The research was conducted in July and August 2003 and is published in the November 2005 issue of the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management.

According to a BBC article about the poll results, 91% of those living near the existing Dun Law site support their local wind farm. At the proposed Black Hill site, only 58% of those living closest to the site supported its construction. The poll also showed that 24% of those living near the Dun Law site had changed their opinion since the project was built, overwhelmingly becoming more positive. In the Irish counties of Cork and Kerry, 73% of respondents reportedly told researchers that their initial fears about wind farms were not realized. Sixty-two percent of those polled said they thought the aesthetic impact was positive, as opposed to 23% who said it was negative.

Warren said, “The press, it seems, give disproportionate emphasis to the vocal minority that opposes wind power while ignoring the silent, contented, and less newsworthy majority.”

At the same time, Warren called for a strategic planning framework to guide the location of wind farm development and reduce the uncertainty around cumulative development effects.

The study found that opponents of wind farms typically focus on local environmental effects such as noise and landscape impacts, whereas those who favor them often focus on global environmental problems and the need to adopt renewable energy as part of the solution.

Sarah, There has been some problems with attempts to install industrial scale wind turbines in parks or green belt areas. I have read about a lot of heated opposition to this in Europe.
I don't think it is appropriate to industrialize parklands for any reason as urban folk need a place that is as natural as possible that they can go to to find some peace and center themselves.