Britain’s largest private landowner risks flooding waterways with poisonous lead if plans to build a huge wind farm go ahead, residents have warned. The Duke of Buccleuch has proposed a large wind farm in south-west Scotland is facing fierce opposition from local residents and politicians across the political divide. Erecting 35 wind turbines on the hillsides between Sanquhar and Wanlockhead in Dumfries and Galloway will wreck the landscape, risk unearthing contamination from old lead mines and undermine plans for a community land buy-out, they say. The accusations are denied by the Buccleuch estate, which says it has reduced the visual impact of the wind farm and will avoid contaminated areas. It argues that its plans pre-date the community buy-out. Buccleuch, Britain’ s largest private landowner, has joined with a renewables company under the banner of the North Lowther Energy Initiative to apply for permission for a 151-megawatt windfarm.
Telegraph 3rd Sept 2017 read more »
SSE’s appeal to Scottish Ministers regarding a two year extension to their Turbine development resulted in North Ayrshire Council being no longer able to determine the application. At last Wednesday’s planning committee meeting, the committee were instead asked to form an opinion on the merits of the case, to form the basis of the council’s evidence, to be presented to the Scottish Ministers. The committee unanimously refused to back the application due to it being ‘contrary to planning policy’ and inappropriate in design and scale to its surroundings
Largs & Millport Weekly News 2nd Sept 2017 read more »
