December 4, 2015
Scotland

Charity wins battle against 67-turbine wind farm in Highlands

STV | 4 December 2015 | stv.tv

An environmental charity has won a legal battle against a 67-turbine wind farm in the Highlands.

The John Muir Trust brought a judicial review against the Scottish Government’s decision to approve the scheme at the Garrogie Estate near Fort Augustus.

The charity objected to the development in the Monadhliath mountains on the basis of its impact on wild land and tourism.

It has now secured a ruling from a judge at the Court of Session in Edinburgh that the decision of June last year to grant approval should be set aside.

Lord Jones held that the ministers reached their decision in breach of environmental regulations.

Developer SSE said the scheme would have generated enough electricity to power 114,000 homes and would have generated £30m for the local economy.

The energy firm originally wanted to build 83 turbines at Stonelairg but the number was reduced to 67 after discussions with the Highland Council in 2013.

John Muir Trust chief executive Stuart Brooks said: “This is great news for all those who love Scotland’s wild land and wish to see it protected.”

An SSE spokesman added: “We are disappointed with the result of the judicial review of the consent decision for Stronelairg wind farm. We will now review the judgement in detail and consider our options accordingly.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/12/04/charity-wins-battle-against-67-turbine-wind-farm-in-highlands/