If you haven’t already, please help us by objecting to the Scottish Government’s Energy Consent Unit (ECU) on the proposed Sclenteuch Wind Farm.

RES who applied to build the Keirs Hill wind farm which was turned down in 2016 on landscape and residential amenity grounds following a public enquiry, have applied to build a further wind farm on Keirs Hill with some turbines coming closer to Straiton.  The scheme was assessed to have a very serious visual impact based on 149.9m height of the turbines. The current proposal for Sclenteuch is for 6 x 200m and 3 x 180m turbines and hence even worse than the previously refused scheme.  Despite this, both East Ayrshire Council and South Ayrshire Council have now submitted their reports to the ECU with neither council objecting to the scheme. The turbines, in the forests directly opposite to the Dersalloch wind farm, would be seen from Straiton and the roads leading into the village, and similarly for our friends in Patna and Waterside. The East Ayrshire Council report can be found here, while the South Ayrshire Council report can be found here.

In addition to the apparent U-turn on the scheme’s acceptability, contradictions on a range of other issues, and from a variety of consultees, are present in the councils’ reports;

East Ayrshire Planning Report

• NatureScot advise that the proposed development would result in significant day time and night time impacts on the Wild Land Qualities of the Merrick Wild Land Area, significant effects of turbine lighting and other significant landscape and visual effects.
• When assessed against National Planning Framework 4, the Council found the scheme to have significant adverse impacts on Local Landscape Areas and Sensitive Landscape Areas and significant landscape effects to parts of the Doon Valley LLA/SLA north of Dalmellington.
• In terms of the residential visual amenity impacts there will be significant adverse impacts resulting from the scheme, including through the impacts extending into the hours of darkness with the visible aviation lighting over and above the daytime impacts.
• Significant adverse impacts on public access, long distance walking and cycling routes and scenic routes.
• National Air Traffic Control and Glasgow Prestwich Airport both object to the proposal

Despite these areas of significant impact and objections, East Ayrshire Council has not objected to the scheme.

South Ayrshire Council Planning Report

• The proposal has the potential to have some adverse effects on the road network with an increase in vehicles including HGVs during the temporary construction phase.
• The windfarm has the potential to have some limited adverse effects on the setting of Straiton which is a historic settlement with a Conservation Area and a large number of Listed Buildings. The greatest impact would be from the wind farms elevated position which would see it sit above the settlement in views from the west. This has the potential for an adverse effect in some views where the settlement can be seen in combination with the wind farm.
• Significant effects are likely in terms of residential visual amenity on properties within Gass.
• There is the potential for significant adverse effects on the landscape from this development given its scale and height of turbines.
• The proposed development would have some significant adverse effects on the Carrick Hills Local Landscape Area
• National Air Traffic Control and Glasgow Prestwich Airport both object to the proposal
• The Council’s landscape consultant concludes that there would be significant adverse effects on residential properties centred on Gass Farm where the addition of the proposed development to a baseline which includes the existing Dersalloch wind farm would be likely to result in an overwhelming effect, as well as significant adverse effects on the special qualities and character of the High Carrick Hills LLA, notably on the sense of wildness associated with this landscape and affecting views from popular hill summits.
• The Proposed Development would result in significant adverse effects on the eastern part of the Middle Dale LCT (the Girvan valley) where the very large turbines of the proposal would form a prominent feature seen on low skylines on the edges of Sclenteuch and Cloncaird Moors

Despite these areas of significant impact and objections, South Ayrshire Council has not objected to the scheme.

Save Straiton for Scotland has lodged an objection to the Energy Consents Unit and we would urge you to object to the proposal due to the adverse impacts resulting from this development.  It is not too late to object to this proposal.  Objections can be made to the ECU by email to Econsents_Admin@gov.scot quoting the reference number ECU00003318 and the title Sclenteuch Wind Farm.  Your objection should be signed off with your name and address.

You could cut and paste the following if it would make it easier:

Sclenteuch Wind Farm Reference ECU00003318

I am writing to lodge my objection to the proposed Sclenteuch industrial wind power station for 6 x 200m and 3 x 180m turbines which would have a damaging effect on the villages of Straiton, Patna and Waterside. Please therefore take this email as an objection to the proposal.

Add your name and address before signing off.

Alternatively, you could prepare your own objection perhaps based on the SSfS’s objection which might include the following:

Landscape and Visual

The reporter for the Keirs Hill PLI concluded in 2016 that “there would be seriously adverse landscape impacts because of the height of the proposed turbines in relation to the scale of the landform on which the site is located. This would be particularly damaging when seen from the Doon Valley and the hills to the south. There would be serious visual impacts for properties at Waterside and the immediate surrounding area, and for parts of Patna. This would be because of the height and proximity of the turbines.”

This application was for turbines of 149m and turbines of 180m and 200m would extend the landscape impact on Patna and Waterside to Straiton.  It would be concluded that this impact would still exist but affecting the wider community.

For turbines of this size aviation lighting would be required at night which is going to impact on the Dark Sky Park.  The lighting would therefore constitute a threat to the designation of the DSP due to light pollution but the lighting would impact on the landscape at night with the possibility of flickering and the blades pass the lights on the towers.

Cultural Heritage

In 2016 the reporter for the Keirs Hill PLI concluded that “there would be adverse impacts on the historic estate at Waterside. This would be because of the proximity and height of the turbines which would have an adverse impact on the setting of scheduled monuments, listed buildings and the conservation area”.  This would remain as an adverse impact on the cultural heritage of the Doon Valley but extended to the cultural setting of Straiton.

Ecology

The applicant has assessed the size of the proposal as being medium as it consists of fewer than 10 wind turbines (small project size) and has one other operational wind development within 5 km (medium size).  It is not clear of the relevance of this assessment and it would seem to imply that the impact is somehow reduced.  While the number of turbines at 9 is below 10 the impact of 200m turbines could be considerable and significant.  200m turbines could have a swept area of over 17,000 square meters or 1.7ha.  9 turbines would therefore present a significant obstacle for bats and birds.

The applicant has noted that there were failures in the recording equipment for bats and that there were suboptimal conditions for bat activity during the survey.  This would lead to questioning the thoroughness of the survey.

Geology, Hydrology and Hydrogeology

The applicant states that the layout of the proposed development has been altered to take into account areas of deep peat but as this area contains extensive areas of deep peat they could be difficult to avoid.

Some turbines are adjacent to the Lochhead Burn and areas of deep peat.  The construction of the turbine bases and the connecting roads have the potential to impact on these areas of deep peat.  Being adjacent to a water course feeding into the Lochhead Burn there is the risk of pollution to these burns and Loch Spallander.

Traffic & Transport

It is considered that the impact from the construction of the wind farm on the communities of Patna, Waterside, Dalmellington and Straiton will create at least a nuisance.   Further it is considered that the level of detail submitted in support of the application in terms of cumulative impact from other windfarm schemes which may be consented is insufficient for a full assessment to be made.

Assessment of Need

South Ayrshire Council’s supplementary submission on energy and planning policy in relation to the recent Clauchrie Wind Farm application set out why additional provision is not required and stated that: 

“While the Scottish Ministers are setting an ambition for an additional 8-12GW of onshore wind capacity by 2030 it is clear that this can be met by the existing pipeline of consented developments (5GW), with extensions to current consented sites (1.3GW) and by repowering older end of life developments (5GW). Kilgallioch and Arecleoch extensions have been approved since this statement was made. There is therefore no need for additional consents on new virgin site to meet the ambition.” 

In summary, there is evidence that demonstrates that additional onshore wind provision as would be provided by the proposed windfarm development at Sclenteuch is not required.  The failings of the current windfarm economic case demonstrates that additional onshore wind provision will lead to further, unsustainable costs for consumers, while the wind farm operators are receiving substantial constraint payments.

Socio Economics and Tourism

The developer is dismissive of the effect that windfarms have on tourism, not taking into account why visitors choose some areas over others. VisitScotland has said that tourism is crucial to Scotland’s economic and cultural well-being. It sustains a great diversity of businesses throughout the country. According to a recent independent report by Deloitte, tourism generates £11 billion for the economy and employs over 200,000 – 9% of the Scottish workforce. Tourism provides jobs in the private sector and stimulates the regeneration of urban and rural areas. One of the Scottish Government and VisitScotland’s key ambitions is to grow tourism revenues and make Scotland one of the world’s foremost tourist destinations.

In July 2016 the reporter for the Keirs Hill Enquiry concluded – “Impacts on tourism and recreation are difficult to be precise about and there is no confirmed evidence as to wind farms deterring tourists from visiting areas where they are located. Despite this the local economy is fragile and communities in the Doon Valley are trying to promote tourist based growth following the loss of the coal industry. Any small loss of income could have a significant adverse impact on the local economy.”  The same would apply in the Straiton locality which similarly derives much of the local income from tourism.

Many thanks for your continued support.