David Ross, Highland Correspondent
COUNCILLORS are being urged to reject plans for a wind farm with turbines
almost as high as the Forth Road Bridge towers, less than four miles south
of Fort Augustus.
The developers of the Culachy Wind Farm have already reduced the number of
turbines from 25 to 13, but plan to make them taller.
The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) say they would be too near
the Corrieyairack Pass and historic Wade Road and would be in a recognised
area of wild land.
Highland Council’s South Planning Application Committee will visit the site
tomorrow and make a decision on Monday
David Gibson, chief executive officer of MCofS said: “With the Paris
climate talks ongoing, we are all very aware of the need to reduce
emissions and in general to tread more lightly upon the earth. That doesn’t
justify building wind farms in the wrong places and accordingly we are
calling on the Planning Committee to reject the Culachy Wind Farm application.
“The south-western Monadhliath (mountains) deserve better than to be
converted into an industrial site for the sake of a scheme that would
produce barely one quarter of one per cent of Scotland’s electricity.”
But developers RES say that if granted planning permission, Culachy Wind
Farm would be capable of generating enough renewable electricity to meet
the average annual requirements of at least 30,000 homes.
They say it would also provide a community benefit fund of between £78,000
– £88,000 per year over the 25-year life of the development. This would
allow local people to invest in projects which would benefit the
communities around the wind farm.
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