August 17, 2012
Scotland

Bid for turbine in city limits

The Press and Journal | 17 August 2012

Councillors will be asked to support plans to erect a 242ft wind turbine in Aberdeen city boundaries next week.

Green energy firm G& B Renewables is seeking planning consent for the development at South Lasts Farm, Contlaw Road, Milltimber.

Members of the council’s development management sub-committee visited the site on August 2 to gauge the impact the structure would have on the area.

Cults, Milltimber and Bieldside Community Council objected to the plan, fearing a precedent could be set for more applications on green-belt land.

In a letter, community council planning co-ordinator Christine McKay said the turbine would represent a “significant intrusion” on the landscape.

Culter Community Council has also raised a number of concerns, including visual impact, noise and the possible impact on radar and radio signals at HJS Helicopters, Culter. Local authority planners received a further 50 letters, mostly from local residents on either side of the city’s western boundary with Aberdeenshire. However, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) have not objected.

In a report to the committee recommending approval, head of planning Margaret Bochel states: “It is recognised there is an emerging trend towards the development of individual or small clusters of wind turbines in lowland farmland, and there is evidence of similar developments in similar countryside within Aberdeenshire.” The council’s development management sub-committee meets on Thursday.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/08/17/bid-for-turbine-in-city-limits/