David Ross
Highland Correspondent
Mountaineers and other outdoor groups hope Highland councillors will ignore
the advice of their planning officials next week when they consider the
controversial extension to an existing wind farm.
Falck Renewables Wind Limited want to add another 10 larger turbines to the
26 which currently operate as the Millennium wind farm in the hills between
Glenmoriston and Glengarry to the west of the Great Glen.
The Millennium wind farm consists of 26 turbines, 16 of which are 377ft and
10 of which 410 m, both to blade tip. The proposed 10 ‘Millennium South’
turbines would be larger at 433ft m to blade tip.
The final decision will be taken by Scottish ministers but Highland
Council’s Head of Planning and Building Standards, Ken McCorquodale, has
advised members of the South Area planning applications committee, to
“Raise No Objection”. The council is an official consultee.
But Fort Augustus and Glenmoriston Community Council does object to the
application not least because of the cumulative landscape impact with four
wind farms consents within a radius of less than 10 miles.
Mountaineering Council for Scotland also objects because of the cumulative
visual impact in an area of outstanding landscape importance. It argues the
capacity of this area to absorb the environmental impact of wind farms has
been exceeded.
The Scottish Rights of Way Society also has concerns over cumulative impact
on recreational users of this countryside.
However the wild land charity the John Muir Trust raises different issues
saying of the application “It does not on the whole significantly increase
the impact of the existing structures with the exception of the new
proposed access route from the south. This new route is not justifiable and
could change access to the whole wind farm. ”
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) raised a similar
objection. It particularly highlights the lack of justification for the
proposed new 4×4 access track, which crosses peatlands.
Dave Gordon, Co-director for Landscape and Access with the Mountaineering
Council of Scotland, said: “The MCofS objected to this application – the
third for this wind farm – on the grounds of the cumulative impact of the
density of turbines. Taken together with Beinneun wind farm and its
proposed extension, this area will appear as a substantial mass of turbines
particularly visible from classic mountains to the west and south.
“It is regrettable, but predictable, that Highland Council’s planners would
recommend no objection. This area is already an industrial site and
intensifying development does less harm than a new development elsewhere.
However, our worry is that we will continue to get both further development
on existing sites and new sites being proposed, such as at Culachy, just
across the Great Glen, where an application is imminent. Large chunks of
the Highlands are losing their appeal to many mountaineers.”
But Richard Dibley, Falck Renewables project manager, insisted: “This is an
extension to an existing wind farm which will have very minimal visual
impact. It is close to our UK operational headquarters from where we
monitor all our European wind farms. The existing Millennium Wind Farm is
located on a site which enjoys an extremely good wind resource and is well
established and a very successful producer of electricity.”
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