August 9, 2018
Scotland

Appeal lodged in bid to resurrect windfarm proposals

Barrhead News | www.barrheadnews.com

Controversial plans to build a new windfarm in East Renfrewshire could be revived by Scottish ministers.

Moorhouse Windfarm Ltd had an application for six turbines in Newton Mearns, between Shieldhill Farm and Moor Road, rejected after aviation chiefs claimed they could lose track of planes over the site.

East Renfrewshire Council knocked back the plans when the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) claimed a windfarm could interfere with their radars in Glasgow and Cumbernauld.

But the company has made an appeal to the Scottish Government in a bid to overturn that decision.

A statement to Scottish ministers said: “The proposed development will make a valuable contribution to the Scottish Government’s renewable energy targets and it’s above average efficiency will allow it to operate subsidy free whilst giving rise to relatively limited impacts for a commercial scale windfarm. It has a compact and cohesive design located in a plateau moorland landscape which is well-suited to wind turbines.

“Scottish Natural Heritage consider the landscape and visual impacts are not particularly significant. Any remaining concerns, including aviation, can be properly addressed through the imposition of conditions.”

The company has been in talks with Glasgow Airport bosses to ease concerns about planes slipping off the radar and two new condition proposals have been submitted to the Scottish Government to try to overturn the council’s refusal.

The first is a radar mitigation scheme will be implemented to help air traffic controllers keep track of planes. The second is the turbines won’t be installed until the radar mitigation scheme is approved in writing between the company, airport and council chiefs.

In March, East Renfrewshire Provost Jim Fletcher described the potential impact on NATS systems as ‘worrying’, but Conservative group leader Stewart Miller claimed ‘everything is positive’ about the windfarm.

The application has been in the pipeline for more than three years, with a series of delays preventing the committee from making a decision until March.

Fourteen consultation responses were received asking for councillors to reject the plans, with East Ayrshire Council saying residents would become ‘encircled by windfarms’.

In 2014, a proposal for 19 turbines on the site was rejected by the council and then dismissed by Scottish ministers.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2018/08/09/appeal-lodged-in-bid-to-resurrect-windfarm-proposals/