April 4, 2015
Scotland

Concerns over turbine plans for nature reserve

Fife Today | Friday 03 April 2015 | www.fifetoday.co.uk

Opposition has been voiced to proposals to build a 79m high wind turbine near the scenic Clatto nature reserve and reservoir.

Ceres and District Environment and Amenity Protection Group, Clatto Landscape Protection Group (CLPG) and Ceres and District Community Council are amongst those to lodge objections to the plan which is due to come before councillors on the area planning committee on Wednesday.

The application, which was first proposed in 2012 and lodged in October last year, involves a turbine being erected at Muirhead Farm, south of Chance Inn.

The proposal is a partnership between a local landowner and farmer and Tencreek Renewables Limited of Devon.

If successful the development provides an opportunity for a direct electrical connection to the farm and an important diversified income stream.

CLPG, which successfully campaigned against the three wind farm applications on Clatto Hill and Devon Wood, is one of the parties which has voiced opposition to the plan based on landscape and visual issues and the impact on bird life at Clatto reservoir and the local nature reserve.

Concerns have also been raised by Graham Lang, chair of Ceres and District Environment and Amenity Protection Group, who said: “ Nature reserve land should be an area left undisturbed to protect the natural environment. Early this winter I saw close to a hundred whooper swans on the reservoir and pink footed geese grazing on nearby fields.

“This massive turbine would be an overbearing, prominent and discordant feature in the local landscape and have an adverse effect on the visual amenity of residents and visitors.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/04/04/concerns-over-turbine-plans-for-nature-reserve/