‘The scale is incredible’ — Against Kinnettles Turbines group claims ‘overwhelming local solidarity’ against plan 

Wind turbines proposed for farmland near Forfar would be twice the height of the town’s East and Old Parish Church.

Campaigners opposing the siting of the turbines at Kinnettles are keen to make people realise the scale of the turbines.

Linda Smith, a leading member of Against Kinnettles Turbines (AKT), said the turbines would be almost twice the height of the recently demolished multis in Dundee’s Hilltown. Members have issued a graphic (below) that they claim shows the scale of the proposed turbines in relation to the East and Old Church.

She said: “The multis were 64 metres high and the Kinnettles turbines are going to be 125.5 metres tall. In fact, these turbines at 125.5 metres high would be much taller than the 100-metre hill on which it is proposed they should stand.”

AKT has signed up more than 450 people to its petition opposing the turbines during the last three weeks. AKT says that is “impressive” as the petition was organised at a time when many families have been on holiday.

It claims there is “overwhelming local solidarity” against siting the turbines near homes.

The group has received the backing of Glamis Community Council after Kinnettles residents gave a presentation to the community council last week. Mrs Smith addressed the meeting of the community council on the proximity of homes to the turbines, landscape considerations and safety concerns.

She said: “It was a unanimous decision they would back our opposition to this.”

Plans for an anemometer on the site to measure wind speed and gather technical information were submitted to Angus Council late last week. The application will be considered by councillors at a later date.

Mrs Smith said: “We will be opposing even this anemometer going up. All local people who are against it are going to write in individually to Angus Council and we will also make a combined submission from the local community opposing the erection of the anemometer.”

Mrs Smith stressed that the campaign group does not oppose turbines in principle and supports renewable energy. But the group is against the Kinnettles plans for a number of reasons, in particular the proximity to houses.

“We just think these turbines would be too close to houses,” she said. “There are four dwellings within 500m of the projected wind turbines, 17 dwellings within 700m and around 125 dwellings within a two-kilometre radius.”

She said the road that leads to the windfarm site is known as Whirlies Road. The single-track Leckaway to Kinnettles road leads to her family home.

“Our cottage is within 500m of one of the proposed turbines. I don’t think any wind turbines should be built within two kilometres of a dwelling. The proposed turbines are just far too close to dwellings and the scale is incredible – taller than the Michelin ones in Dundee and twice as high as the multis that were knocked down.

“They will be visible from the A90 and they are going to distract drivers on the dual carriageway. As well as the A90, they will be clearly seen from the Glamis/Forfar road.”

Mrs Smith said there was also concern over possible noise from the turbines, shadow flicker and other effects that could be detrimental to public health.

A statement issued by AKT claimed that many residents were “justifiably worried” about effects on the value of their properties and the ability to sell these.

They said: “The group stated that opinions gathered from estate agents supported these concerns. At a time of economic recession, the mere publicising of this windfarm proposal has made it difficult for some families living close to the site to sell their houses and in that way has started to blight their lives.”

It added: “AKT point out that this proposed project is a commercial enterprise, expected to produce profits running into many millions of pounds over a period of at least 25 years. However, this profit would come at the cost of disfiguring the landscape and reducing other people’s property values, many of whom have worked hard to purchase property so they could live in this picturesque, quiet part of Angus.

“The turbines being proposed so close to houses is also insensitive to residents’ basic human right to enjoy the peace of their home.”