July 20, 2012
Scotland

Creetown windfarm plans ditched

by Patricia Lewis, Galloway News | www.dgstandard.co.uk 19 July 2012

The plug has been pulled on a major windfarm development in the Stewartry.

In a “refreshing change”, Swedish company Vattenfall bowed to massive concerns and backed off the proposals for Blackmyre Moor near Creetown.

They had planned 10 turbines for the site but worries raised by local residents and council guidance on turbine height played a big part in the decision.

Historic Scotland also raised questions about the proximity of the turbines to several monuments.

And RSPB Scotland also expressed concern about the impact on local bird life.

Andrew Bennett, project manager for Vattenfall, said: “Planning policy guidance set out recently by Dumfries and Galloway Council has indicated that only turbines of less than 80m would be appropriate for this area.

“We respect the guidance given by the council and this was a factor in our decision to withdraw.

“We felt it was important to confirm our decision to withdraw to give certainty to as many local residents as possible.”

The u-turn has been welcomed by MP Russell Brown.

He said: “I am pleased that Vattenfall has listened to the concerns many local people had about the location of this windfarm.

“Residents were understandably anxious about the effect on tourism in the area and local wildlife.

“I am growing increasingly concerned about the impact of wind farms on Dumfries and Galloway’s beautiful scenery and it is encouraging to see that in this instance Vattenfall has taken the views of objectors on board.”

His views were echoed by local anti-windfarm group TW312.

Spokesman Keith Mycock said: “TW312 is pleased that Vattenfall has taken the responsible decision to withdraw from their plans to develop Blackmyre Moor near Creetown.

“It is a refreshing change for a wind farm developer to accept the terms of a planning policy before it has battled through the planning system wasting many people’s time and effort.

“We would hope that other developers, with aspirations to industrialise the Stewartry with developments that are inappropriately sited and against local policy, will rethink and follow Vattenfall’s lead.”

Vattenfall had spent two years studying bird flight paths at the proposed site.

It said that the research would be donated to RSPB Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/07/20/creetown-windfarm-plans-ditched/