December 29, 2006
U.K.

Wind firm objected to Fife Structure Plan

The company planning to build two windfarms in north east Fife formally objected to the controversial Fife Structure Plan, it has emerged.

In a letter to the Scottish Executive, EnergieKontor – which is behind controversial planned developments in Ceres and Auchtermuchty – revealed it was unhappy with certain elements in the document which appear to make it more complicated to build a windfarm.

Officials at the German-based firm were also annoyed with a report by design and assessment group ASH, which Fife Council is using as part of its consideration on the plan.

As the Fife Herald revealed back in April, the influential ASH study advised the local authority that projects like those in the two local communities were unsuitable.

It suggested that the 13-turbine development at Gather-cauld outside Ceres was definitely out of the question, while the blades of the five-turbines by Auchtermuchty Common would be too large.

“Our main worry with the ASH study is that it could be interpreted by some to be ruling out possible locations as unsuitable for windfarm development in advance of the full consideration of applications and their likely impacts,” wrote Mick McLoughlin, project manager with the firm.

“It (the report) seems to be a broad-brush study and we hope that its findings do not rule out the possibility of individual proposals being acceptable which are larger in scale than its theoretical limits.”

News of the firm’s objection has angered campaigners.

A spokesman for Ceres-based group formed to oppose the windfarm in the village said he was “appalled” at the submission.

fifenow.co.uk


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2006/12/29/wind-firm-objected-to-fife-structure-plan/