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Campaigners spell out anti-turbine message
Credit: By Aileen Robertson, The Courier & Advertiser, 18 February 2012 ~~
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Translate: FROM English | TO English
Anti-windfarm campaigners yesterday sent a strong message to Fife councillors on a site visit.
Clatto Landscape Protection Group’s banner left members of North East Fife area committee in no doubt of their opposition to two proposals, which if given the go-ahead would see eight turbines installed at the Fife beauty spot.
Councillors travelled to the site yesterday morning. They have been recommenced to approve West Coast Energy’s proposal for five 115m turbines at Devon Wood and Green Cat Renewables’ proposal for three 100m turbines at Clatto Farm when they meet on Wednesday.
Council officials made the recommendation despite hundreds of objections, including from most neighbouring community councils. If approved, the windfarms would help the council meet Government targets for reducing carbon emissions.
The plans are expected to go before Levenmouth area committee a week later before Fife Council’s planning committee makes the final decision next month.
Campaigner Greg Brown said: “We can find nowhere else in Scotland where a local community is expected to take turbines on this scale so close to where they live.
“The turbines would lie within two kilometres of over 100 homes and residents would see them from in and around their homes and as they go to and from their homes.
“Scottish Natural Heritage have highlighted this problem in their report. Their presence in our lives would be relentless.”
Mr Brown said the group urged councillors to take heed of council planning policies, which state turbines should not be permitted where they would have a significant adverse impact on local communities.
“There are many key policies designed to protect residents, the landscape and the environment from inappropriate proposals. All councillors need to do is apply them to ensure the plans from both applicants are turned down,” he said.
“In this case the local community faces a horrendous prospect. That’s why the proposals have attracted around 300 local objectors.
“The evidence is plain that the turbines would be the highest things in the whole of Fife, apart from East and West Lomond. Claims that the gently rolling landscape and 15 metre high trees would screen the turbines from most views are totally absurd.
“A study commissioned by the council and grafted into policy makes clear that there are no locations in Fife suitable for turbines more than 100 metres high.
“How can it possibly make sense to plant 10 of them near the top of Clatto Hill? It beggars belief.”
West Coast Energy’s proposal was initially for seven turbines each at 121m high but this was scaled down.
A total of 489 letters of representation have been received by the council. Of these, 190 were letters of support and two were non-objections from Kennoway and Giffordtown and District community councils.
The community councils who objected were Freuchie, Cults, the Burgh of Ladybank and District, Kettle, and Ceres and District.
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