Highland Council planners have thrown out proposals to build a wind farm near the edge of a National Nature Reserve on one of Scotland’s best known mountains. The plans to build 17 turbines, each 126.5 metres high, at Clach Liath near to Ben Wyvis in Ross-shire was deemed so unsuitable that it was rejected without even needing to be put before the council planning committee for a vote.
David Gibson, MCofS Chief Officer, said: “We welcome this decision but it is completely wrong that companies can waste public time and money by putting forward grossly unsuitable applications of this kind. “We have repeatedly called on the Scottish Government to act but it misses every opportunity and simply appears weak in its failure to care for the Scottish countryside.
“There are real concerns that planning departments, with limited resources, are being seriously overstretched by inappropriate wind farm applications by large energy companies which are happy to industrialise Scotland’s mountains for the sake of their own profits. With three dreadful wind farm applications having been rejected by Highland Council in just two days it is time the Scottish Government started listening and changed its direction.
“Scotland needs a national renewables spatial planning policy to decide what can be built where. This would stop unsuitable, speculative planning applications and protect our precious countryside while allowing green energy schemes to be developed in suitable places.”
SSE Renewables expressed disappointment at Highland Council’s rejection of the plans but stressed on its website that it had no plans to ditch its proposal, stating that “the final decision for the wind farm proposal, which comprises 27 turbines with a total installed capacity of up to 81MW, rests with Scottish ministers.”
This week Highland Council planning committee also rejected the wind farm applications for Dalnessie and Glenmorie, both of which would have a severe impact on important mountain landscapes. Chair of the planning committee Isobel McCallum told BBC Scotland: “As time goes by, I think you will find that there will be fewer suitable sites available for applications.” She said that Highland Council was writing to the Scottish government urging it to support a Scottish Natural Heritage proposal to protect what it designated as “wild land”.
A Scottish government spokesperson was reported by the BBC as commenting “We provide clear guidance to local authorities and developers on the location of wind turbine developments to ensure that developments only go ahead in the right places. We are currently reviewing Scottish planning policy and we plan to launch a consultation in spring 2013. Scotland has huge clean green energy resources and many communities in Scotland now benefit from the renewable energy resources in their area.