Local Windfarms: Public Inquiry Meeting

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Local Windfarms: Public Inquiry Meeting

IN ADVANCE of the pre-inquiry meeting to be held in Amulree Village Hall on 23 May, local P&K councillor Alistair Barr warned: “Be under no illusion, this is one of the biggest issues for Highland Perthshire in modern times.”

The meeting will decide when the joint public inquiry will be held into the two applications for the mega-turbine installations at Calliachar and Griffin south of Aberfeldy. It will also decide how the inquiry will run, what matters will be discussed and will offer a chance for people to advise the Scottish Executive Reporter that they wish to make a representation.

P&K Councillor Alistair Barr said: “The public inquiry will decide the fate of Highland Perthshire’s landscape, and I would encourage members of the Highland Perthshire community to go along to this meeting.

“I have always felt quite strongly that these proposed developments are completely contrary to one of our local policies, that being the Tayside Landscape Character Assessment, which was taken into consideration by the (P&K) council when rejecting both windfarm applications."

Irrevocable Damage

He indicated that the Assessment clearly states that the landscape in Strathbraan, and the hills on the sides, are sensitive areas and that it is necessary to ‘discourage proposals for aerials, masts or wind turbines or additional pylons because of their likely impact on the harsh, under-developed character of the Highland summits and plateaux’.

He added: “There can be absolutely no justification to see the circumvention of our policies and guidelines to accommodate proposals which would damage irrevocably our infrastructure, economy and way of life in this part of Highland Perthshire.”

Tourism Impact

In advance of the meeting, and indicating that he intended to speak at the Inquiry itself, MSP Murdo Fraser said: "If these developments are given the go ahead, they will cause irreversible damage to the local environment. Furthermore, they will be visible for miles throughout Highland Perthshire and I have no doubt that this will have a negative impact on our tourism industry. Aberfeldy, Dunkeld and the surrounding area heavily rely on tourism and these windfarms would have a direct impact on many businesses depend on tourism.

“I believe that too much focus is being put on wind power as the answer to Scotland’s energy needs. Wind power developers are able to make massive profits from windfarms due to the grants given from the Scottish Executive and, as a result, other forms of renewable energy are not being researched or developed. More must be done to promote other renewable energy technologies such as biomass, geothermal, wave tidal as well as small scale renewables.