Campaigners in the Highlands who have just successfully fought off one controversial windfarm are now warning about the devastating impact of another in the pipeline.
No Ring of Steel (NoROS) helped persuade councillors that the eight-turbine Meall Buidhe was the wrong development for the area near Rosehall.
That was despite council officials recommending the development for approval.
Now a new application from German energy giants EnergieKontor would see 11 enormous turbines of 200 metres constructed at nearby Strath Oykel.
As the proposed development has a generating capacity in excess of 50MW, the application will be considered directly by Scottish Government ministers.
Campaigners have said the huge turbines would encircle the community and devastate local residents’ day-to-day lives
They say there is also a very real risk that the development will cause huge damage to tourism, scenery, wildlife and the pristine quality of local rivers which are renowned across the world for fresh-water fishing.
They also say that part of the Highlands is at “saturation point” with onshore windfarms.
The area already generates by far the most onshore wind, at 4036 gigawatt hours in 2020, with a further 1579 MW of projects in the planning pipeline.
Campaigners say, as an area, it already exceeds renewable energy targets, something Highland councillors acknowledged when rejecting the Meall Buidhe application.
Currently in that area are the 19-turbine Achany windfarm, as well as the 19-turbine Rosehall windfarm.
Permission has been granted for 27 turbines at Braemore, while a 14-turbine project at Braelangwell is being scoped by developers.
In addition, SSE Renewables wants to double the size of Achany, the bid for which will be determined by the Scottish Government.
Ashley Smith, spokesman for No Ring of Steel, said: “This part of the Highlands is at saturation point with onshore windfarms.
“There is a place for renewable energy, but there comes a point when we have to say enough is enough.
“With two operational windfarms totalling 38 turbines, another with consent for 27 turbines and two other applications awaiting a decision our village cannot take any more.
“We fought hard to persuade the council to reject the application for Meall Buidhe and they listened.
“But now we have to do the same with the Scottish Government on this latest unacceptable application.
“These turbines would be 200 metres high, which is significantly higher than any building in Scotland, and they would have devastating consequences.
“They would spoil the landscape, wreak havoc on a local economy which is heavily dependent on tourism, and completely change the landscape of one of the most uniquely scenic areas in the world.
“These turbines will be just 1.5km from the nearest properties and will blight residents’ lives.
“The developers even admit in their application that there will be significant effects on these residents from shadow flicker and the cumulative noise affect.
“What’s more, there would be an adverse impact on wildlife and the construction would risk real damage to our rivers which are revered across the UK for the quality of fishing and are home to the critically endangered fresh water mussels.
“None of this is worth any of the benefits the developers claim this project would bring.
“This part of the Highlands is more than playing its part with renewable energy, and it’s time for the decision-makers to come up with something else.
“We may have seen off the latest controversial bid for an unpopular windfarm, but it’s difficult for small communities to continue to replicate these David and Goliath stories.
“Due to the time, effort and costs, the fear is large developers will eventually just wear us down.” https://www.northern-times.co.uk/…/no-ring-of-steel…/

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