March 30, 2012
Scotland

Turn down wind turbine application for the sake of my daughter, says mother

by Craig Robertson, Dumfries Standard Friday, www.dgstandard.co.uk 30 March 2012

A mother pleaded with councillors to turn down a wind turbine application over the effect it would have on her daughter’s health.

Suzi Scott, of Kirkpatrick Hill near Closeburn, said allowing the proposal to go ahead would stall the recovery of her child from a brain condition.

She spoke at a planning applications committee before councillors decided on a proposal by David Kirkpatrick to erect a 24.8m high turbine on land at Kirkpatrick Hill.

Mrs Scott, who was one of a number of objectors to the plan with her husband Neil, told the committee on Wednesday: “A while ago my daughter suffered a traumatic brain illness and needs to be away from stress.

“A peaceful and tranquil existence is essential to her and this would shatter that.”

Closeburn Community Council had also objected to the proposal and their secretary Mike Steel claimed they felt intimated by the applicant’s agents, Medium Scale Wind Ltd.

He told councillors: “We are extremely cross with Medium Scale Wind.

“They wrote to us taking apart our objection line by line and we felt intimidated by that.

“It is the first time that has happened.”

However, they received an apology from Gordon Cowtan who represented the firm.

He said: “This is a relatively small wind turbine.

“The farmer is diversifying his activities.

“It is our view that it has a low visual impact.

“The letter that was written to the community council was not intended to intimidate and I’d like to apologise if that was the way it was received.”

Mr Kirkpatrick wanted to erect the two-bladed turbine on agricultural land and connect it to the national grid with an output of 11kw.

But the application ended up being turned down after a vote in the chamber.

Councillors Thomas Jacques and Jim Dempster led a motion to turn it down on the ground of the impact on the landscape and that it would be unduly prominent.

It defeated an amendment led by Councillors Alistair Geddes and George Prentice that the application should go ahead.

The refusal went against the advice of planning officers who were recommending it should be approved.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/03/30/turn-down-wind-turbine-application-for-the-sake-of-my-daughter-says-mother/