Wild Land News no 67, Autumn 2006

Abercairny windfarm proposal turned down Article

John Digney reports

The Scottish Executive has withheld consent for a proposal to by Catamount Energy Ltd. to build a 24-turbine windfarm at Abercairny, north-east of Crieff in Perthshire. The turbines would have stood 104 metres high from base to blade-tip, and would have generated 66MW in total.

A public inquiry was convened and concluded that:

the proposal would not serve to preserve the natural beauty of the area.
some sites which, although not designated, have some historic and architectural interests which may not be protected.

In upholding the findings of the inquiry, Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Allan Wilson, said: "Our aim remains to ensure that we take advantage of Scotland's extensive renewables potential whilst safeguarding our natural heritage. In short, the circumstances must be right for all new renewable energy developments."

One significant aspect of this decision is that the area in question, although on a popular tourist route on the very edge of the Highlands, is not covered by any special landscape designation. The references to "natural beauty" and "natural heritage" are encouraging, and the decision indicates awareness on the part of ministers and inquiry reporters of the overall value of Scotland's landscapes. We hope this will extend to more remote areas and that developers will get the message that intrusive schemes are not welcome.