Turbines — 'too many, too big, too close'
A Caithness village would be encircled by wind turbines if three commercial developments get the green light, it is being claimed.
Stewart Young, of Caithness Windfarm Information Forum (CWIF), was speaking in the wake of the submission of a planning application for a wind farm at Durran Mains.
DP Energy Ireland wants to put up 13 turbines, each with a blade-tip height of 91 metres, on farmland at the site, to the immediate west of Bower. Mr Young said the scheme by itself would have a totally unacceptable impact on local residents. But he said that this would be greatly worsened were two other wind farm ventures, to the east of the village, to get the go-ahead.
Npower Renewables is seeking consent for a 12-turbine scheme at Stroupster while British Energy is keen to go ahead with a large-scale development at Scoolary.
Mr Young said: “They may have reduced the number of turbines and made them slightly smaller but they remain slap bang in the middle of where people are living. Bower is very, very close to the site and you’ve got individuals whose houses are less than a kilometre away.”
Mr Young said CWIF is calling for planners to adopt what he said are guidelines from Scottish ministers which state that large wind farms should be at least two kilometres away from housing.
“If this one goes ahead, along with Stroupster and Scoolary, Bower is going to be surrounded by turbines – there would be no hiding from them.”
The Durran scheme has been scaled back from the original proposal four years ago to erect 32 turbines, each with a blade-tip height of 100 metres.
CWIF maintains the amendments do not address core concerns local people have. Mr Young said: “Size-wise, the turbines they are proposing are still substantial structures. They will be only 25 or so feet smaller than the current ones on the Causewaymire.”
Community councils in both Bower and Castletown are opposed to the scheme. Bower Community Council chairman Allan Roberts said: “Our objections echoes the public sentiment expressed at two public meetings where the proposal was overwhelmingly opposed. The changes don’t make any difference – the turbines are too big, too many and too close to houses.”
Mr Roberts claimed developers have failed to account for new housing which has sprung up near the wind farm site over the past three years. He said: “There must have been between 20-30 houses which have gone up close to the site during this time. There’s one that is going up something like 150 metres from the proposed site.”
Mr Roberts, who also chairs a local action group, said the development would have a drastic impact on the landscape. “It would ruin the look of a really pleasant stretch of countryside,” he said. “It’s on top of a hill in the centre of Caithness and it would be seen from just about everywhere in the county.”
Mr Roberts said his community council is planning submitting a joint objection with its Castletown counterpart.
The Highland Council this week received the planning application and environmental impact assessment for the wind farm, which has a potential output of 19.5 megawatts.
5 September 2008
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