Turbines planned for the Helensburgh community wind farm are too big,
according to a report by council planners.
The report says the scale of the proposal, especially in relation to
turbine height is “unlikely to be appropriate for this location and may
result in very significant adverse landscape and visual impacts”.
A group comprising Helensburgh Renewables, Luss Estates and Greencat
Renewsables wants to put five turbines measuring 86.5 metres to blade tip
on the hillside 2km north of Helensburgh in a project costing £7.8m.
But a “scoping” report written by council planners says: “A significant
reduction in the scale of the proposal is recommended on landscape grounds,
informed by the findings of the Argyll and Bute Landscape Wind Energy
Capacity Study.”
The report says that guidance on the development of this type of landscape,
described as open ridgeland, recommends there is some limited scope for
turbines to be accommodated of the small-medium typology, ie 30 to 50 metres.
In a statement released in response to the scoping report, a spokesperson
for Helensburgh Renewables said: “Helensburgh Community Wind Farm is
designed to be a tremendous asset for the people and future of
Helensburgh’s community, and as such we have been engaged in ongoing
dialogue with Argyll and Bute Council and various consultees.
“The submission of this formal scoping report marks a significant milestone
in the project’s process, and we have addressed all of the issues and
concerns raised within it, including turbine height. ”
Read the full story in this week’s Advertiser, out on Thursday.
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