February 22, 2008
Scotland
Scotland
Extra wind turbines planned for a site near Fintry will be the focus of an exhibition in Gargunnock on Wednesday, February 27.
As reported in last Friday’s Observer, Falck Renewables and RDC Scotland have submitted an application to Stirling Council planners for nine turbines in the Gargunnock Hills, south east of Kippen.
People will get a chance to view the plans and get more information at the exhibition in Gargunnock Community Centre from 2-8pm.
The proposal is seen as an extension to the north west of their existing Earlsburn wind farm, which started producing electricity at the end of last year.
They say the new wind farm would produce enough “clean, green electricity” to supply around 12,600 homes, roughly a quarter of the homes in the Stirling Council area.
The plans also include a community turbine to deliver direct financial benefit to the local community.
The proposals, which represent a capital investment of around £27.5 million, include a site control building, a suggested grid connection route, three borrow pits, construction compound and access roads.
Project manager Mark McCarthy, of planning consultants West Coast Energy who have been working on behalf of Falck Renwables, said: “Over the last three years the site has been independently assessed by specialists who have evaluated environmental issues such as noise, nature conservation, archaeology, landscape and visual impact.
“We have also been liaising closely with statutory organisations such as Scottish Natural Heritage, Stirling Council and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in order to ensure that environmental concerns have been fully addressed.
“We are confident that Earlsburn North is a good location for a windfarm and can make a significant contribution towards renewable energy objectives at both national and local level.”
Scottish Natural Heritage, however, has in the past raised concerns about the potential cumulative impact of wind turbines in the area.
The original Earlsburn development also raised a storm of protest in Denny where people claimed they had not been consulted. They had expressed concerns over access issues and the frequency of construction vehicles visiting the site.
The full planning application and environmental statement for the latest proposal can also be viewed at Stirling Council’s office at Viewforth, Stirling.
22 February 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/02/22/fintry-wind-farm-plan-gets-airing/