The planning documentation for Keirs Hill windfarm is now available online:

https://savestraitonforscotland.com/keirs-hill-planning-submission/

To truly appreciate the size and scale of the Keirs Hill Windfarm, click on the photomontage above.  Believe it or not, this viewpoint is Troon Harbour, some 25km away from the proposed site!  Now imagine how these will appear from within the local and idyllic conservation settings of Straiton, or Kirkmichael to name but a few. Perhaps we are considered ‘lucky’ in Straiton only being 3.5 km away from these truly giant structures, but spare a thought for our neighbours over the hill in Patna who staggeringly are just over 1km away.

RES UK have been very cunning in siting the turbines just over the boundary in East Ayrshire. South Ayrshire Council (amongst others) raised concerns following the initial scoping phase regarding the cumulative effects of various proposed wind farm developments on the surrounding area, including the adjacent South Ayrshire Scenic Area, and the conservation villages at Straiton and Kirkmichael.  Having now hopped over the border, South Ayrshire Council  are no longer a statutory consultee, despite the huge impact (as demonstrated by the RES photomontages) which has been compounded by RES greedily increasing the height of the turbines to a whopping 149 metres to blade tip – the highest turbines to be found in any onshore windfarm in the UK.

Despite the backdrop to the conservation village being covered in giant turbines, Straiton is now considered to have ‘negligible’ impact. This is surprising, given it qualifies for the RES local energy discount scheme, a well documented bribe designed to pacify local residents by essentially offering them back some of the subsidy they are already paying via their sky rocketing energy bills.  If RES felt that there was truly no impact, then why the need to ask local residents to jump on this subsidy merry-go-round?

At SSfS we are preparing a ‘how to object’ page to make it easier for people to make a considered objection, in the meantime we would ask that people have a look at the planning submission, and as usual keep us posted with your thoughts and comments so we can include these if necessary with our own objections.