November 21, 2007
Scotland
Scotland
The strength of feeling against plans for a windfarm, which would tower 400ft above an Aberdeenshire beauty spot, has led to the formation of two campaign groups.
Plans for seven turbines at Pressendye, between Tarland and Cushnie, were unveiled by Cushnie Wind Energy in August.
Following a series of public meetings, two separate action groups have now been established to oppose the scheme.
Tarland residents have formed Stop Turbines On Pressendye (STOP) while their Cushnie neighbours have marshalled under the banner of Cushnie Wind Action Group (CWAG).
The two groups now plan to work in association to oppose the proposal, which is expected to be submitted to Aberdeenshire Council before the end of the year.
STOP spokesman Simon Welfare, of Easter Davoch, near Tarland, said: “There is a lot of feeling in the area against this attempt to industrialise an important and prominent landscape, and we’ll be working together to object if a planning application goes in.”
Mr Welfare insisted the group was not against renewable energy.
“Like everybody else, we are keen to do what we can to protect the future of our planet,” he added.
But he said members felt strongly that the local environment should not be compromised as a result.
He added: “Pressendye is an inappropriate site for such a development. The developers have announced that they hope to build seven turbines, each 400ft high.
“We strongly believe that this would have an unacceptable impact on the nationally important landscape of the surrounding countryside, since the hill can be seen from the heart of the Cairngorms National Park.
“We are also concerned that it would have a damaging effect on local tourism, undoing all recent efforts to attract the visitors on which the local economy depends.”
CWAG chairman Ray King, a retired chartered engineer, echoed his concerns.
He said: “There are many other areas where this development could take place with less impact on the skyline.
“The relative ease with which wind turbines can be installed, to satisfy our quick rush in meeting laudable environmental goals, is unfortunately taking away valuable financial resources which could be used to develop and implement more effective, less intrusive, and cost-efficient technologies for reducing our carbon emissions.”
Anyone wishing to join the action groups can contact them by e-mail at pressendye@hotmail.co.uk.
21 November 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/11/21/campaigners-aim-to-stop-windfarm/