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

Council backing for Strathy Forest 33-turbine wind farm 

Credit:  By Caroline McMorran, The Northern Times, www.northern-times.co.uk 12 May 2011 ~~

Scottish and Southern Energy’s plans for a 90 million, 33-turbine wind farm on the north side of Strathy Forest, have gained the support of the local authority.

The Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Planning and Review Committee held a site visit and special meeting at Strathy on Tuesday to discuss the issue.

The decision on whether or not the development will go ahead lies with the Scottish Government, because its output will be over 50Mw.

However, Highland Council is a statutory consultee.

Just five members of the 13-strong north planning committee were present at Tuesday’s meeting, which clashed with a licensing board meeting.

Councillor George Farlow, north west and central Sutherland, was the only local representative, as both his two ward colleagues were unavailable.

Councillor Linda Munro was involved in a schools recruitment interview and Councillor Robbie Rowantree had already declared an interest as a self-employed contractor working for Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE).

Some 169 objections to the development were lodged, with only six letters of support.

Conservation bodies, including the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and Marine Scotland, have lodged objections.

Concern lies with the likely visual impact and its effect on the environment and on tourism.

Planners recommended that the development be supported, saying there were no “material considerations” to suggest that approval should be withheld.

Councillor Farlow said he was satisfied that there were no planning grounds to go against the recommendation.

Committee vice-chairman, Robert Coghill, expressed concern that 900 hectares of trees would have to be felled to make way for the wind farm.

He was also worried about the proliferation of wind farms in the far north, saying: “We now have a wind farm landscape and we will not be able to view our natural heritage without seeing industrial buildings.”

Councillor Coghill said he did not see how he could support the application and asked for his misgivings to be recorded.

Councillor Richard Durham, Tain and Easter Ross, mentioned the possibility of a follow-up planning application to cover the south side of Strathy Forest, with a further 77 turbines.

“It does seem to me that they do rather impact on one another,” he said.

But after discussion, it was agreed that the application should be supported.

Source:  By Caroline McMorran, The Northern Times, www.northern-times.co.uk 12 May 2011

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