By Richard Watt
A public protest against a proposed windfarm on the border of Angus and
Perthshire has been delayed by an 11th-hour application by its developers.
The Saddle Hill windfarm would comprise 14 turbines up to 115 metres high
around 2.4 miles north-west of Kilry.
It is understood Angus Council was to recommend refusal of the
controversial scheme at a meeting of its development standards committee
next Tuesday.
Local campaigners had arranged a bus and car sharing arrangement to bring
as many people as possible to lobby the meeting in Forfar.
However, representatives of Wind Prospect arrived at Angus Council offices
late on Friday afternoon with a Supplementary Environmental Information
(SEI) report regarding noise, water supply and forestry.
This led to the council removing the item from the agenda.
One of the leading Glen Isla objectors, Dr Jo Chapman Campbell, said people
from across Scotland had already made arrangements to protest in person,
and asked for an apology over the lack of notice.
She said: “Residents are appalled by Wind Prospect’s contempt for the
community.
“We received no notification from the company that they were submitting SEI
– there was total silence.
“We deserve a public apology.
“Residents had arranged time off work to attend the hearing on January 26,
others had arranged child care.
“In fact, regular visitors to Glen Isla were heading to Forfar from all
quarters of Scotland to demonstrate their opposition to the scheme.
“We had also organised a bus to take residents of the glens to the hearing,
and others had promised to car share.”
The local authority has taken the unusual step of sending urgent messages
to residents, explaining that it had to take the application off the agenda
or fall foul of planning legislation.
Planning officer Murray Agnew said: “We have reluctantly taken the decision
to remove the item from the agenda.
“The decision has not been taken lightly and I am abundantly aware of the
preparations that some parties have been making for attendance at the meeting.
“As such I fully appreciate that disappointment and frustration that this
will cause and I can only apologise for this.”
Sarah Dooley, Wind Prospect’s senior development manager, said of the
submission of the Supplementary Environmental Information: “This was always
our intention as we felt it was important to provide further details on
noise, private water supplies and forestry as a result of questions raised
during the development process.”
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