On the same site as Linfairn, Statkraft are putting forward a shocking proposal for 12 turbines at 200m in height called Knockcronal. Shocking because Linfairn attracted in excess of 6.5 thousand objections, our MSPs, MP, and Councillors from all political parties were unanimous in their opposition to a wind farm in this location. A local opinion poll recorded 92.5% of those taking part (60%) were opposed to a wind farm at Linfairn.

It would appear that the Developer is not taking local opinion into consideration. As the sheer level of objections show it is not just locals who want to preserve the unique beauty of the upper Girvan valley; objections came from across the UK and the world from those who love and appreciate this beautiful corner of South Ayrshire.

Click here to go to the Developer’s website page where you can find links to the full Scoping Report. If you encounter any problems the full report with figures can be accessed here.

Given the recent decision taken by the Scottish Government to dismiss the need for a Public Local Inquiry (PLI) and grant consent to Dersalloch Windfarm, thus overriding the ‘open and transparent’ planning process, the local council, and some 5000 members of the public who objected to it, there has not been much to cheer about in recent weeks.   A sinister precedent has been set which has left the surrounding communities and councils in shock, not just at the way the decision was made and the timing of the announcement, but also as to what this could mean for the other Section 36 windfarms surrounding Straiton which are currently in the planning system (not to mention countless others all over Scotland).  Legal advice is being taken as we speak so hopefully we have not heard the end of this, however we thought in the meantime we could try and cheer our supporters up with some ‘better’ news.

Keirs Hill Windfarm (RES UK) – In addition to a solid objection by South Ayrshire Council, there are confirmed to be 3419 public objections to this proposal.  Last week, East Ayrshire Planning Committee added theirs to the mix.  This ‘should‘ trigger a Public Inquiry, however, who knows how the Scottish Government will choose to handle this given their recent behaviour with Dersalloch.  East Ayrshire have provided a full and detailed review with their reasons for objection, and even hired their own noise and landscape consultants to assist with the decision making process – the report can be found here.  Sadly, developers RES have already been throwing their toys out of the pram about this objection, with the decision having been reported as … “blasted by applicants RES UK and Ireland Ltd who claim the development will boost the economy and create local jobs”…“The Council’s decision will create significant additional costs and delays, for all parties, in the delivery of the proposed 17 turbine development which has received no objections from Scottish Natural Heritage, SEPA or Historic Scotland and has significant support within the local community.”   Well RES, we did try to warn you that this was an inappropriate development and the Council are perfectly entitled as statutory consultees to object!   Many developers mistakenly seem to think that because SNH do not formally ‘object’ that a proposal has essentially got the ‘green light’.  This has never been the case, as there are many other considerations that need to be accounted for, and yes RES, that does include impact on communities and breaches of planning policy!

Glenmount windfarm (RWE) is split between 2 planning authorities – South and East Ayrshire.  Given its location, it should come as no surprise that there are a number of objections that have been lodged (statutory and non statutory).  South Ayrshire Planners have recommended objection and East Ayrshire have not lodged theirs yet so watch this space, but again – SSfS are hopeful this should trigger a PLI.  The South Ayrshire Panel report can be found here.  The report also summarises some of the objections received to date which is encouraging:

Save Straiton for Scotland – objection (number of submissions made).             ScotWays – objection to proposed right of way closure during the construction phase. British Horse Society – have concerns of the impact of proposal on off road riding in the area.                                                                                                                            Glasgow Prestwick Airport – objection.                                                            Mountaineering Council of Scotland – objection.                                                        SEPA – objection unless significant modifications can be met.                                                Visit Scotland – significant concerns raised on the impact of the proposed development on tourist’s assets in the area.                                                                                    Ayrshire Rivers Trust – concerns over sediment arising from the site-welcome commitment to proposed water course monitoring programme.                                        Scottish Natural Heritage – objection, considers that the proposal will significantly and adversely affect the integrity of the Merrick Search area for Wild Land.                            Kyle & Carrick Civic Society – objection.                                                                      West of Scotland Archaeology Service – objection

No news yet for the Linfairn addendum (removal of 6 turbines), however, Willowind are another developer that mistakenly believe it is only SNH who have a valid opinion and from their recent ‘exhibition’, it is clear that they do not consider the other objections made by the landscape, planning and noise consultants,  or the 6000 public objections relevant.  So they are going to push ahead with some very superficial changes to try to appease SNH.  We wish them all the best, look forward to responding to the addendum and hope that Mr Atwal is enjoying his sabbatical from his banking day job to try and push this proposal through!

The site of Dersalloch taken from Bennan Hill

Dear supporters,

As many of you will have heard, yesterday afternoon (strangely coinciding with the opening of the Commonwealth Games which naturally the media and press will be focused on for the next few weeks) Dersalloch Windfarm – approx 2km East of Straiton, was approved directly by Scottish energy Minister, Fergus Ewing.  The article regarding this decision can be viewed here.

After a 7 year battle which amassed close to 5000 objections (including objections from the Planning Authority – South Ayrshire Council),  this has come as a particular blow, not only to the community of Straiton who are threatened by 5 developments  all within a few kilometers of the village itself,  but also the East Ayrshire communities of Dalmellington and beyond who have been striving so passionately to protect their programme of regeneration and tourism.

Be assured there will be questions asked and updates to follow – SSfS were repeatedly informed that this application would be going to Public Local Inquiry (PLI), at which point it would be given a full and proper review taking account of post 2005 changes in planning and landscape policy, cumulative impact, and the application itself in terms of access  and location of turbines. It appears however, as can be seen from the Scottish Government decision letter, that there is a convenient ‘clause’ in the Electricity Act (see page 6), essentially meaning that the objections from South Ayrshire Council, did not in this case automatically trigger a PLI. 

In addition to this PLI clause – the 4723 objections do not appear to have any bearing on the decision. It might be pertinent at this point to roll the clock back 18 months to a point where the national press was questioning the continual waiving through of windfarm applications despite 10,000 objections having been recieved directly by Scottish ministers (at that point between 2008 and 2013).  A report in the Herald at the time quoted a representative for the Scottish Government saying  “Scotland has open, inclusive and transparent planning processes which give the right protection to our magnificent landscapes, and which takes the views of local communities into account.”  At SSfS we are struggling to reconcile yesterdays ‘under the carpet’ announcement with this ‘open inclusive and transparent’ planning process.  Surely a PLI would have been the only way forward if the process was all of these things?

Whilst we  gather our thoughts and get our heads together to discuss the next steps, please take some time to read the decision letter and feel free to let us know your thoughts on this issue.  Be assured as soon as we have gathered a bit more info and got some more detail we will let you know.

This weeks Carrick Gazette has highlighted the SSfS on-going campaign to fight the completely inappropriate Linfairn Windfarm.  To view the article please click here.  This is in response to the announcement that Investment Bank led WilloWind Energy will be holding more public exhibitions and submitting an addendum to their initial proposal for 25 turbines, reducing the number to 19.

Responding to Chairman Bill Steven who commented regarding the inappropriateness of the remaining 19 turbines,  the ‘new face’ of Willowind (Suki Atwal) is  already displaying the familiar signs of contempt for this community that we have seen time and time again:

“It is disappointing but entirely predictable that the Chair of the Save Straiton for Scotland campaign group has chosen to criticise our revised proposal prior to our public exhibitions taking place on the 9, 10 and 11 July. It would appear that there is little that Willowind can say or do to engage in a constructive dialogue with this group, who have always maintained a position of absolute opposition. Sadly it is likely this will never change.”

In response to Mr Atwal – SSfS can be clear that the 6000+ objections lodged with the ECDU were not just relating to the 6 turbines which Willowind propose to remove,  but the scheme in its entirety.  The removal of 6 turbines, was only one of many critical comments made by SNH when they responded to the proposal (please click here to view the full response).  But what about the numerous other valid objections that were made in relation to this proposal In addition to those made by SNH?

Planning opinion – Ian Kelly
Landscape assessment – Mark Steele
Landscape assessment – Appendix
Noise report – Dick Bowdler
Supplementary objection submission – SSfS
Visit Straiton – Objection

If WilloWind and its consultants had bothered to read these and actually ‘listen’ to the local community, the politicians,  the planning, landscape and noise consultants, then they would not even be attempting to come back into this village and they would understand why  “…the Chair of the Save Straiton for Scotland campaign group has chosen to criticise our revised proposal…”. 

Please be clear about one thing Mr Atwal – If you would like to win over this community and undo the damage caused by your previous windfarm submission, we can offer some advice – the only revised proposal SSfS and this community will willingly accept is no proposal.

As you may be aware, SSfS received an extension for the Keirs Hill representation (well there was a lot to say about it!). This ensured that there was plenty of time to enlist the help of Landscape consultant Mark Steele, as well as pull our own objection together. These were submitted to the ECDU on Friday (7th Feb), and the documents are now available online for you to view.  We have also included the submission from VisitStraiton, which we hope you’ll agree makes good reading!

Unfortunately Glenmount is in full flow, so no time to dwell  on Keirs Hill.  Developers RWE npower have already been giving us a bit of a headache, and that’s before their 36,000 vehicle journeys get near us!  Both the Community Council and SSfS, following a lot of concern from local residents asked for a public meeting to be held so people could raise their own issues and hear what they had to say.  RWE responded to this by selectively inviting some residents to an ‘appointment only’ discussion on Friday 14th February.  This is far from ideal given most people on the route would have been unaware about the invitation.  If anyone would still like to try to get an appointment, RWE can be contacted on 0845 717700 or emailed Glenmount@npower-renewables.com. 

Failing that, however RWE have now agreed to hold a further drop in session in the McCandlish Hall on Tuesday 18 February between 4pm and 7pm (they really don’t want people to turn up at the same time do they?!).  It is imperative that anybody to has concerns or questions about the proposal to try and make it along to the drop in session and make sure you get all the answers you are looking for.  RWE have provided  a traffic management plan which has some basic information so please have a look prior to going along just to give you a feel for what they are proposing.

View from the Glenmount site looking south towards Derclach and Finlas Lochs

Just as we were dusting ourselves down, recovering from the horror that was Linfairn Windfarm, Keirs Hill sneaked in with a festive treat for us to digest over Christmas.  The timing didn’t deter our supporters who managed rustle up  another 3000 objections (without having to bribe locals with electricity discounts, or pay people to canvas strangers in the streets of Ayr)!  Now, as expected, Glenmount (RWE Npower) have come in with their Section 36 application, clearly desperate to cash in on the feeding frenzy before policy changes make the process less lucrative for them.

Time is extremely tight for this application, and we only have until 24th February 2014 **STOP PRESS: the DEADLINE IS EXTENDED to 10th March** to submit representations to the ECDU.  SSfS have therefore prepared a how to object page to try to simplify the process for those who wish to make a considered objection.

The planning documents are not available online yet, although they are in the McCandlish Hall in Straiton and should soon be available on the East Ayrshire Council planning website.  STOP PRESS: click here to see the key documents and key images. The non technical summary is available on the RWE website. The summary however shows that very little has actually changed from the original scoping documents (the turbines have reduced from 22 to 19). Some highlights which RWE point out are below and might just give you an indication of how they view the area they intend industrialising.

• ‘The .. site falls within a..locally designated Sensitive Landscape Character
  Area (SLCA).. [and].. would result in a localised significant impact..’
• ‘The local area could not be described as a popular tourism location’
• ‘There are also aspirations for dark sky tourism to be developed in
  the area .. [and] the development of Loch Doon .. although these aspirations
  are so far unfulfilled.’
• ‘Construction traffic [will travel] through the communities of Kirkmichael and
  Straiton … will last for approximately 24 months, and will peak during months 2 to 5 (93 vehicle movements per day).  A total of 152 abnormal load movements will  be generated over months 15 to 20 in the delivery of large turbine components to site.  [and] will be accompanied by police escorts to warn and control external traffic. Significant driver delay and community effects are forecast during the construction phase if unmitigated.’

  .
  There is plenty more information within these documents, clearly designed to shock locals and tourists alike.  Notable of course is yet another developer making a determined effort to ignore the SNH commissioned  East and South Ayrshire Wind Capacity Studies (2013) which explicitly state (yet again) that the site area  cannot accommodate any large scale turbines.

  If you are as horrified as us by this proposal please  Object Now.  SSfS will prepare a more detailed submission however please, as always, send us any additional comments or concerns you may have and we will ensure they get included.

Now that the festivities are out the way for another year, SSfS wanted to have an opportunity to get everyone together for a wee glass of wine (or a cup of tea or coffee!) and a catchup to discuss the latest proposal at Keirs Hill.  With less than 2 weeks to go until the objection deadline, this is the last chance to ask any questions, pick up some additional postcards for friends and family, and reflect on the true horror of what is being proposed just over the hill. We look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible!

Taken from the Craigengower Monument, Straiton. The giant (125 ft) pylons which the community tried so hard to prevent in 1993 can be seen clearly, and are dwarfed by these 489 ft monsters.

Dear supporters,  At SSfS we have been busy consolidating some of the issues that are coming out of the Keirs Hill planning documents. We have many in the pipeline, however, to allow our supporters to begin the process of  objecting to this scheme, we have prepared a How to Object page with just a few of these key points which can be referenced. There will be a newsletter getting delivered round the local area soon which will also provide postcards for those who do not have access to a computer.

The deadline for objections is the 24th January 2014.

Despite the messages of reassurance that RES gave, this windfarm is horrific, and yet again, flaunts Scottish Government guidelines and local planning policy. Well our message back is clear: These turbines are TOO HIGH. They can be seen for miles and miles, spanning several counties, and scarring our treasured landscape. There are TOO MANY for this narrow strip of land to accommodate (which is why the 2013 East Ayrshire Landscape Capacity Study  categorically says NO).  Finally they are far TOO CLOSE to many villages and properties and given the numbers and size, will undoubtedly have an overbearing and oppressive effect on the residential amenity of residents in these areas. Please take some time to support our cause, protect our village and surrounding areas from these giant industrial turbines and OBJECT NOW:

https://savestraitonforscotland.com/how-to-object-to-keirs-hill-windfarm/

The red light illuminating from the Sclenteuch meteorological mast sitting threateningly above the village of Straiton is a constant reminder of what is lurking round the corner.  It is to us villagers far more than a tool to gather data and  monitor wind speed – it is a beacon of uncertainty, oppression, and fear.  It’s hardly surprising this feeling emanates around the area, given that the 3rd Section 36 application within a matter of weeks is about to land on our doorsteps. Yet another developer in a couple of thousand pages is about to tell us this location is perfect, the environmental damage will be negligible, and the ‘cost’ to the community could be offset by some ‘community benefit’ or  a pitiful £100 pounds off our rocketing energy bills.

At the RES community meeting earlier in the year, residents of Straiton were ‘assured’ that the Sclenteuch development had moved away, it was now in East Ayrshire, renamed to ‘Keirs Hill’ and was not coming back (they refused to put this in writing however). We since find that the height of the turbines has increased to a staggering 149m, so actually increase the visibility and impact of this windfarm not just to Straiton, but villages and towns all over Ayrshire.  To add salt into the wound of this shocking proposal, RES have applied to South Ayrshire Council for a 2 year extension to the original  Sclenteuch mast which sits 2.5 km away from the Keirs Hill site.  They claim this is to continue to monitor wind speed for the Keirs Hill windfarm, however, part of the Keirs Hill application already includes plans for a met mast on site.  The Sclenteuch mast is in a completely different location, RES have had ample time to apply for a temporary mast in the new location, therefore we find their reasoning laughable. A simple look at the RES website shows how many times this company gets a foot in the door waits until the precedent has been set and then applies for the extension or phase II.

We have an opportunity to make our feelings on this met mast application known.  It is the opinion of SSfS that the planning permission for this mast has expired and therefore it should be removed.  If you are of the same opinion, please register your objection with South Ayrshire Council using the following link:  http://ww6.south-ayrshire.gov.uk:81/bumblebee-web/applicationComments.do?action=showComments&caseNo=13/01409/FUR

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.

Dear Supporters,

Just in time for Christmas – RES UK have prepared a little festive treat for you to digest with your turkey and Christmas Pudding this year!  The Keirs Hill windfarm application has now been submitted to the Energy Consents Unit and as you can see from the pictures it may take a bit of swallowing.

Keirs Hill Windfarm as seen from Craigengower Monument

RES have been careful and measured in their activities following responses to the initial scoping report which was produced in 2011.  They have been communicating regularly with SSfS and we have all been aware for some time that the initial plans for 33 turbines  with a height to tip of 125 m spanning South and East Ayrshire Council, was reduced to 17 turbines but with an increased maximum tip height of 149 m, and ‘conveniently’ now just residing within the East Ayrshire Council boundary.

Unfortunately the height, number and proximity of these turbines (the tallest to be found in any onshore windfarm in the UK), paint a very bleak picture for our village as they are only some 3 km away, yet brutally dominate the picturesque setting which we are fighting so hard to protect. Focusing mainly on East Ayrshire, the Environmental Statement gives very little consideration to the village of Straiton and surrounding areas, its unique unspoilt setting, and the thousands of tourists who come here every year.

Keirs Hill Windfarm from the Dyke Road, just outside of Straiton

SSfS however are planning to respond to this application with the same message that we have given to the last three applications that have landed on our doorstep.  This is NOT an appropriate setting for any windfarm, yet alone one of this size and scale.  We hope our supporters will again join us in echoing this message.  You should all be familiar with the routine; the planning documentation will be provided for you to look at, a ‘how to object’ page will be prepared and we will provide postcards and templates for people to fill in.  We have until the 24th January 2014 to respond to this application, so please make sure if you are visiting, or have family and friends with you over the holiday period that they also have the opportunity to make a considered objection to this proposal.

In the meantime, please keep an eye out for further posts with more details on the planning submission itself and how to object.

Beady eyed supporters may have noticed that RES UK & Ireland Ltd posted details of their planning application  for Keirs Hill Windfarm (formally known as Sclenteuch) in last weeks Ayrshire post.  The development project manager contacted SSfS on Thursday to say there had been a last minute delay, but had not had time to withdraw the advert.  He provided the following note to post on this website:

“Please note, the application for the Keirs Hill Wind Farm has not yet been submitted and the Environmental Statement is not available for viewing. The advert in Ayrshire Post (dated Friday 22nd) was placed in error.

SSfS do not have details of new dates yet but will provide them as soon as they are available.

SSfS Chairman, Bill Steven spreading the SSfS message at the ECDU offices!

Well, the last few days of the Linfairn campaign saw an immense push and those final objections literally came flooding in!   We don’t have the official count, but there are believed to be over 3000 individual objections that made it to the Energy Consents Unit by Monday 11th November!  A huge thank you to everybody who took the time to make their feelings known – for a community the size of Straiton to see such support has provided a fantastic boost to this campaign and has really impressed politicians, fellow campaigners, and the local media.

Some of the committee went up to Glasgow on Monday to personally hand over thousands of objections, along with professional  material prepared by our Noise, Landscape and Planning experts, as well as supplementary objection material prepared by SSfS.  We have put those documents online now so you can see everything in black and white.  Have a good read, it is our opinion that these documents speak for themselves in terms of where this application should be heading…

Landscape assessment – Mark Steele
Landscape assessment – Appendix
Noise report – Dick Bowdler
Planning opinion – Ian Kelly
Supplementary objection submission – SSfS
Visit Straiton – Objection

There will be a bit of a wait now as all the statutory consultees have to prepare their own responses to the application, but we will keep feeding back information as it becomes available. This is only the beginning, there is still a big hill to climb, but we’ve certainly made a cracking start  thanks to all your fantastic support.

Cartoon by Robert Thompson

If any of our local supporters can come at short notice, it would be great to have as many of you as possible join us at the Buck, in Straiton, tomorrow (Sat 5th October) at 12:30pm for a photo with the Ayr Advertiser and Carrick Herald who are running a story on our campaign next week.   SSfS has already had some press attention from the Ayrshire Post  this week, after  Bill Steven told it like it is, in response to Willowind lodging their Section 36 planning application for Linfairn Windfarm.  .. ‘Their community engagement has been pathetic, with absolutely no contact made with the many people who will be directly impacted by this windfarm‘…You can read the full article here.

This is the developer’s own shocking Photomontage taken from the Monument looking towards one section of the Linfairn Windfarm.

Dear Supporter,

You may have been wondering about the progress of Linfairn Windfarm given that considerable time has passed since the public exhibition was held back in January.  At that point we were told final plans would be submitted around March 2013.

The SSfS committee have been trying to contact the developers (Willowind) to pin down more detail regarding progress and timescales.   Last week, and thanks to Chic Brodie MSP, who has been liaising closely with SSfS, a meeting was held with Willowind. Our Chairman Bill Steven was allowed to attend with one other committee member.

Below are the key dates which came out of the meeting. These are subject to change however, we wanted to share with you all as soon as possible and prepare everyone for the next steps.

Friday 6th September 2013

As this is a Section 36 (over 50 MW) application, Willowind plan to submit their application to the Energy Consents Unit part of the Scottish Government.

Willowind also plan to give a full copy of their application documents to South Ayrshire Council, SSfS, and Maybole Library.

Saturday 7th September / Sunday 8th September 2013

Willowind to arrange for hand delivered leaflets to all local addresses (and email addresses) outlining the progress they have made over the last few months through ‘listening’ to local concerns and updating their plans accordingly ready for the next steps. Unlike other developers in the area, Willowind do not intend to hold a further public meeting to discuss any changes. However it is understood the 25 turbines still remain.

Tuesday 10th September / Wednesday 11th September

1st round of adverts will be submitted to the Glasgow Herald and Edinburgh Gazette / Ayrshire Post.

Tuesday 17th September / Wednesday 18th September

2nd round of adverts will be submitted to the Edinburgh Gazette / Ayrshire Post.

Monday 21st October

Last date for public objections.

Monday 20^th January 2014

Final date for South Ayrshire Council response – note it is very likely this will be delayed.

Next Steps

There is going to be a lot of activity of the next few weeks, and we are all going to have to part to play in this. SSfS cannot do this without your support, so are holding a public meeting on Wednesday 11th September at 7:30 pm in the McCandlish Hall, Straiton.  SSfS will take you through the plans for the coming weeks and give you an opportunity to ask any questions and highlight any concerns. If you are from the local area and support our cause, please make every effort to be there.

A  good article in the Ayrshire Post this week highlights our first Save Straiton for Scotland ‘success’ at Loch Bradan.  Well done everyone! Hopefully there will be several more to follow over the course of this campaign.

Unfortunately the article isn’t available online yet but if you don’t have the paper – you should be able to read the article if you click on the picture to the left – you may have to magnify it slightly if your eyesight is anything like mine!

Source: neo-environmental.co.uk
13/00626/APP Photomontage 3

Anybody who has been trying to access the South Ayrshire Planning link to the single turbine proposed at Loch Bradan, may have noticed that as of Monday (29th July) it was not possible to leave comments, and the status had been changed to ‘Application Withdrawn’. Our Chairman, Bill Steven,  followed up with Scottish Water who have responded with the following:

“Scottish Water will be looking to resubmit our planning application for a wind turbine on this site as we are looking to develop wind power here to help reduce our energy costs. The resubmission is due to the fact that we have looked at reducing the visual impact on the surrounding area and this will be presented to Ayrshire Council in the near future.”

Given this, we can only assume that perhaps Scottish Water underestimated the overwhelming strength of feeling our community and visitors to the area have with regards to protecting this unique and beautiful landscape.  There were already 123 objections which had made it to the South Ayrshire Planning department, including a 12 page letter from the committee at SSfS, and there were still many more in the pipeline.  Thank you  to everyone who took the time to make their feelings known!

Bearing in mind there will be a resubmission from Scottish Water, you (and they) can be assured it will be getting the same level of scrutiny from SSfS, as ‘Visual Impact’ was only one of many issues raised with regards to this application.  We will keep you posted of any developments, and as always, please let us know if you have any questions or comments regarding this issue.

Source: neo-environmental.co.uk
13/00626/APP Photomontage 3

With the end of July deadline looming for objections to the proposed Loch Bradan turbine, it is worth considering that there are good news stories out there and that every objection really does count!

A 5 turbine wind farm near the Cheviot Hills which received over 1000 objections has been thrown out by the Scottish Borders Council. The full story can be found here.

One of the grounds given for refusal was that: ‘The proposal would have a significantly adverse landscape and visual impact .. in ..a landscape that is currently unaffected by this type of development …‘.  To anyone who has been to the tranquil and unspoilt area of Loch Bradan this statement will ring so true. Hopefully our council planning department will agree.

If there is anyone who is considering objecting to the Loch Bradan turbine, but perhaps feels it won’t make a difference, then the story above may provide some confidence, that even for smaller developments, this is not necessarily the case.  For those who have objected – thank you for your support in helping to protect this cherished landscape.   As a reminder, details on how to object can be found below:

https://savestraitonforscotland.com/about/loch-bradan/how-to-object-loch-bradan/

Note: One letter = one objection regardless of how many people sign it, so, where possible don’t forget to submit multiple objections per household.

Source: neo-environmental.co.uk
13/00626/APP Photomontage 3

• One objection per individual in each household and if you have friends or family who understand what is at stake here, it would be great to encourage them to support us too.

Source: neo-environmental.co.uk
13/00626/APP Photomontage 3

Please be aware the Save Straiton committee are preparing a ‘how to object’ page for anyone who wishes to raise concerns about  the proposed wind turbine at Loch Bradan, but may be unsure about how to go about it. This turbine is 101m to blade tip  as mentioned in a previous post  and has been described by the developers as “intentionally sited down along by the lochs shoreline..to reduce its prominence in the landscape”.  

The location is only 1 mile away from the Glenmount site, so there is a real concern that this would set a precedent for large scale wind farms and further inappropriate developments in this area.  The committee will not be using funds raised by the campaign to fight this development, but will be on hand to help out and provide information and advice to anyone who wishes to object.  Please watch this space for further information which should be available in the next couple of days.

To view details of the application, which includes photomontages, landscape and visual impact assessments, ecology and ornithology reports  please click here.