September 28, 2012
Scotland

Councillors reject uni windfarm plans

Fife Today | www.fifetoday.co.uk 27 September 2012

St Andrews University’s application to build a windfarm near Kenly has been rejected by Fife Council.

The plan was rejected when it went before a meeting of the north east Fife area committee on Wednesday but the university have confirmed they will appeal.

A spokesman for university criticised the decision and questioned how the application was handled.

‘MISHANDLED’

“We remain fully committed to our plans for a wind cluster at Kenly and will appeal this decision,” he said.

“With all due respect to Fife Council, we believe there are strong grounds to show the application was mishandled and that councillors were given misleading information and advice.

“This is a £20 million development which will create and safeguard local jobs in Fife and generate clean power to support world leading teaching and research.

“It is disappointing that a local authority charged with a leading role in economic development does not appear to have considered these factors in making its decision.”

A report compiled on the application recommended it be refused on the grounds that it would significantly alter the landscape character and create a significant detrimental visual impact on historic settlements.

And the report also said there was a possibility these negative impacts could be amplified by other turbines that have already been approved or are currently being considered.

INFORMATION

The university was accused of failing to provide sufficient information to allow the assessment of the proposed connection to the national grid.

The report states: “The proposed development by virtue of its scale, size, number of turbines, prominent location and its close proximity to the adjacent proposed wind turbines at Lingo Farm would have a detrimental cumulative visual impact on the landscape character, local communities, the skyline, the adjacent area of great landscape value, the adjacent candidate special landscape area and the overall appearance of the immediate and surrounding rural landscape setting.”

“The applicant has failed to submit sufficient information to allow an assessment of the visual impact of the connection of the proposed turbines to the national grid which would be required to allow the successful implementation of the proposal and this connection is likely to exacerbate the unacceptable visual impacts of the development.”

St Andrews University had said they were considering taking the application to the Scottish Government to be determined but the matter was decided on Wednesday at the council meeting as the application had not been registered with the Scottish Government at that time.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/09/28/councillors-reject-uni-windfarm-plans/