Wind farm set for rejection
Hilltops south of Gardenstown look likely to be rejected as a site for future big wind farms – meanwhile plans to extend a much more modest two-turbine wind development at Alvah will be put to councillors at a meeting today (Tuesday).
An 8.1 hectare site, on either side of the Tore of Troup, roughly between the hills of Overbrae, Troup and Windyheads, was earlier earmarked as a potential site for a large-scale wind farm.
But the likelihood of objections from both the aviation and broadcasting industries would appear to have ruled out the area as a location for a major wind energy development, say council officers.
A study presented to councillors on Aberdeenshire Council’s Banff and Buchan area committee in September revealed that eight areas in Aberdeenshire had initially been identified as suitable for wind farms over 20 megawatts – substantially larger than the seven-turbine, 14mw wind farm at Boyndie.
The areas were to be included in a planning guidance document for potential developers.
The majority of these sites lie along the Aberdeen-Peterhead corridor, but one area to the south of Troup Head was also put forward.
The site, referred to in the document as ‘Area A’, covers a significant swathe of land between the main A98 Macduff to Fraserburgh road and the stretch of the B9031 linking Gardenstown and Pennan.
However, concerns over electro-magnetic interference expressed by radio broadcasting and aviation bodies have probably blown away the chances of developing the Gamrie site.
Councillors had been keen to keep the site on the document, with a warning to developers about possible objections.
But this has been dismissed by the local authority’s planning and environmental service as “misleading and confusing”.
The report states: “it is very likely that the wind energy industry is already aware of the radar and electro-magnetic issues in Aberdeenshire that would prohibit wind energy developments at present.
“To include these areas would be misleading and could cause confusion.”
The new draft of the report is due to be considered by the area committee today (Tuesday), with a recommendation that just four broad areas of search – all within the Aberdeen to Peterhead corridor – be included in a wind farm planning guidance document.
PLANS to extend a small wind farm in the Alvah area are due to be considered by councillors at a meeting in Banff today (Tuesday).
Applicant Duncan Greenenergy of Turriff has requested planning permission to erect a wind turbine on farmland at Strath of Brydock, Alvah.
The proposal would effectively form an extension to the existing two turbine which were given planning consent in February. Work on the first two turbines has now started.
The new turbine is of the same design and dimensions to the two existing models, with a hub height of 63 metres and a blade turning circle of 71 metres, resulting in a maximum height of 100 metres.
By comparison, the seven wind turbines at the Boyndie wind farm near Banff are 113m from ground to blade tip.
When the initial application for a wind farm at Brydock was submitted, it contained plans for three turbines. One of these turbines was subsequently removed from an amended application to minimise the impact on the nearby category ‘A’ listed Inchdrewer Castle.
This proposed new turbine is effectively a direct replacement for the one deleted from the original plans. This new one is sited over a kilometre from the castle, as opposed to just 435m previously.
The application is due for consideration at a meeting of Aberdeenshire Council’s Banff and Buchan area committee today (Tuesday).
Planning officers have recommended refusing planning permission.
By Euan Shepherd
25 November 2008
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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