Mince Pies, Mulled Wine and our AGM

Back in December we held our AGM. Bill Steven, retired from the Chair but is still active on the Committee, we would like to thank him for all the hard work he has put in over the past years, his enthusiasm, engaging personality and exceptional public speaking skills have been invaluable. Stepping up to the Chair is Lala Burchal-Nolan, again an excellent and inspiring speaker with an incisive mind and, what’s more, she can speed read – a useful skill when going through thousands of pages of developers’ applications.

Sadly we are also losing Jonathan Meuli; web builder extraordinaire and multi-talented intellectual (writer, editor, artist, photographer and expert communicator). He constructed this site, creating the ‘feel’ and tone of the pages, working through the nights uploading an enormous amount of content through which our readers can become informed and come to their own conclusions. We hope we can do justice to all your hard work. Thank you.

Also stepping down are Whirly Marshall and Joanna Clapton who have become experts in all things Planning. They have studied each application with forensic detail and put together some compelling objections which has taken many, many hours of work for which we are all very grateful. Fortunately they are still helping in the background with forming our objections to Linfairn and Knockskae proposals.

Since the meeting we have welcomed Tom Dowman and Sandy Millar on to the Committee and we are confident they will make an invaluable contribution to the campaign.

Click here to open a pdf of the AGM slides which include how much we raised, how we spent it and an update on all the developments.

Since the meeting we know that Mark Gibson of Craigengillan has lodged a petition for a Judicial Review into Dersalloch after East Ayrshire inexplicably withdrew at the 11th hour.

 

30th January – deadline for objections to Linfairn

In order that our readers can be fully informed about WilloWind’s application to build a 17 turbine wind farm near the village of Straiton we have uploaded all files relating to the Addendum to the original Planning Application. They are in pdf format and can be viewed here.

To object to the Addendum, please click here.

Figure A6.12.23b - Viewpoint 23.cdr

After studying the Addendum we feel that the proposal is still totally unacceptable, in our opinion the development would brutally dominate the upper Girvan valley, completely overwhelming this beautiful glen and is contrary to the adopted Landscape Capacity Study for Wind Turbine Development in Ayrshire and would compromise the SNH draft Core Areas of Wild Land designation.

We believe the traffic route is also unacceptable; thousands of vehicle journeys would thunder past two primary schools, a play park and a graveyard in Maybole, continue through the conservation village of Crosshill past another graveyard. The route turns onto the B741 towards Straiton where, just before the Crosshill Bridge over the Girvan, a new section of track would be created to enable the huge vehicles to swing round to join the Dyke Road. From here it almost doubles back on itself up the Dyke Road to the site entrance between Dyke and Knockgardner Farms.

Perhaps worst of all we firmly believe this development would have severe detrimental effects on Knockskae and two cottages at Tairlaw with residents suffering substantial noise disturbance, shadow flicker and appalling views. Other homes located up the glen would also be adversely affected, the ability of residents to enjoy their homes and gardens that have carefully been maintained with different Types of Hedge Trimmers and that they may have decorated with the best glowing pebbles, all this could be compromised.

The view from Cornish Hill

The view from Cornish Hill

 

Another Linfairn Exhibition

Figure A6.12.23b - Viewpoint 23.cdr

WilloWind are holding Public Information Days in Straiton and Kirkmichael next week to “re-engage with local communities” and have submitted an Addendum to the Linfairn Wind Farm application. Despite reducing the number of turbines to 17 we feel the development is still completely unacceptable. As shown by their photomontage it completely dominates the beautiful upper Girvan valley, homes would be overwhelmed and suffer from shadow flicker and noise.

Please try to attend one of the exhibitions and make your feelings known.

Tuesday 13th, McCosh Hall, Kirkmichael, 2pm – 7pm
Wednesday 14th, McCandlish Hall, Straiton, 2pm – 7pm