When we first expressed our doubts about the suitability of Oxford for a series of wind turbines, little did we know that it would be the Ministry of Defence’s concerns about their impact on radar that would thwart the city council’s ambitions.

Our concern was more to do with the historic nature of Oxford and the unique character of its environment. We also believed that Oxford was way down the list of windy sites that would make turbines cost-effective in this location.

Our suspicion was that the developers behind these wind turbines were coming in on the back of the tokenism of our council leaders and with the help of Government subsidies that would make otherwise unviable wind turbines profitable in this location.

We have not changed our view, but what concerns us now is that there is little sign of the city council changing its mind.

Are we to expect that the main criteria for choosing a site for wind turbines in Oxford will now be those that the Ministry of Defence does not object to? That could potentially lead to a choice of only a few sites irrespective of the environmental impact or the lack of wind.

We remain convinced that Oxford is not a suitable site for wind farms, adding the Ministry of Defence reasons to those we have already given.

No one could possibly argue that the city is a suitable site for a cluster of wind turbines either within its boundary or on its outskirts. It follows that the erection of the odd one or two can only be described as tokenism.

Oxford is far more suited to the generation of power by water. Schemes have been suggested for Osney Lock and Sandford Weir. The natural resource provided by the River Thames is much better suited to the generation of power in and around Oxford than wind turbines.

City councillor John Tanner claims wind turbines are a thing of beauty, and contrasts them with electricity pylons. He really will have to try harder. Wind turbines are nothing more than functional. In the right place — out at sea — they have a significant part to play in the generation of electricity.

In Oxford, they do not.