Despite our best efforts, hard work and your ongoing support over the past 4 years, Scottish Ministers recently granted planning consent for Knockcronal and Craiginmoddie windfarms. This is terrible news for the community and local landscape. The only consolation is that the third scheme that was heard as part of the conjoined inquiry, Carrick, was refused consent.

For both Knockcronal and Craiginmoddie, the decision letters state that “Scottish Ministers are satisfied that the negative impacts are acceptable in the context of Scottish Government policy, and in the context of the net economic benefits and significant renewable energy benefits that the proposed Development would bring”. In short, local communities’ concerns count for nothing.

In relation to refusing consent for the Carrick scheme, the decision letter states that “Taking account of the Application, the EIA Report, AI Feb 2023, AI March 2023, the consultation responses, representations, the findings and the conclusions and recommendation of the PI Report, the Scottish Ministers consider that although many of the environmental impacts could be overcome by way of mitigation or would be overall acceptable when balanced against the net economic benefits and the renewable energy benefits that would be delivered if the proposed Development were to be deployed, the likely significant individual and cumulative landscape and visual impacts, impacting on the Dark Sky Park (and to some extent the Biosphere) would not.” Surely this argument would also apply to the Knockcronal and Craiginmoddie schemes, but reporters and ministers failed to recognise this.

Copies of the decision letters and reports for the three schemes can be downloaded from the DPEA case webpages at: Knockcronal, Craiginmoddie, Carrick. The map update below shows the context of the consented schemes on the local area.

We will continue to opose windfarm developments in the area, including the current proposal for Back Fell.

Thank you again for all your support.