LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Windfarm to give a £1.75M windfall 

Windfarm developers say a tiny Stirling community will receive around £1.75 million over the next 25 years if its proposal goes ahead.

Stirling-based Scotia Wind will address a hearing at Stirling Council’s planning panel later this month as members prepare to decide on the company’s application for eight turbines at Craigengelt Hill.

If the development goes ahead on the site, 10km south of Stirling between Fintry and Carron Bridge, it would mean an index-linked cash windfall of £48,000 a year for the 130-household, 300-resident community.

The proposed windfarm would generate up to 24 megawatts of electricity – enough to power around 13,700 Stirling households.

A local development trust, which is currently applying for charitable status, would administer the cash and is believed to have chosen a community benefit model based on £2000 per megawatt generated annually by the windfarm.

The trust will also feature a representative of the community council.

While the company is stressing it is entirely up to locals, via the trust and the community council, how the money would be spent, they hope the cash could help fund community projects with a direct benefit to residents.

Among possible options already being investigated locally is believed to be a grants scheme to help households become “greener” and more energy efficient.

Although the turbines would be 80 metres tall and with blades reaching a further 45 metres, the company claims the site is located away from sensitive scenery and is well screened by the surrounding topography.

The company said it was chosen from several possible sites as being the least visible site in Stirling and shielded by high ground on three sides.

It is also not within the Campsie, Ochil and Trossachs ranges, has very high wind speeds and is currently only used for rough grazing.

The development has not been without some critics, however, although so far mainly because of access.

Scotia Wind is creating an access track between Kingsburgh at Chartershall Road and Blackrow, at New Line Road at Chartershall.

Some locals had concerns that it would alter the rural setting and that surrounding routes would be unable to cope with traffic relating to the proposal.

The company has said, however, that the access route would be created specifically to minimise disruption.

Scotia Wind operations director Dominic Farrugia said: “We wanted these benefits to go to the community directly affected by our proposal, which is Carron Valley.

“While we have worked hard to limit it, there will inevitably be an impact of some sort.

“We were approached by the community with a view to discussing the community benefits.

“This type of benefit is completely voluntary but we made a commitment 18 months ago and we will stand by that.”

If the windfarm does go ahead, the company has also agreed to make businesses in the area aware of any commercial opportunities so they have a chance to apply for these.

Stirling Observer

12 December 2007

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon