April 14, 2013
Scotland

Ark Hill wind farm wins Pock Mark Award

Urban Realm | April 10, 2013 | www.urbanrealm.comUrban Realm | April 10, 2013 | www.urbanrealm.com

An eight turbine wind farm at Ark Hill on the Sidlaws has been handed a Pock Mark Award for worst planning decision owing to its detrimental visual impact on a swathe of rural Angus.

The exposed site serves as habitat for a range of wildlife from deer and short eared owls to peregrine falcons and grouse and is a popular recreational ground for tourists and locals – leading to considerable local anger.

Carbuncle judge Mark Chalmers said: “I don’t mind wind turbines, I don’t even mind a few located in the hills, but Ark Hill is the wrong place for them.”

Comparing Ark Hill unfavourably to another Pock Mark nomination, Dundee’s Michelin plant – the first of the tyre manufacturers plants to embrace wind power, Chalmers added: “They’re a positive feature on the skyline telling you that industry is working here… just like chimneys or cranes used to be signifiers.

“In fact, if you stand on Craigowl you can see both Michelin and Ark Hill.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/04/14/ark-hill-wind-farm-wins-pock-mark-award/