Concerns over new plans for turbines 

A group of concerned locals has hit out at plans for a wind farm at Govals which lies south-west of Forfar.

Consultants Green Cat and land owner farmer David Cooper have submitted an application for six 285ft turbines.

In the application, Green Cat say that “some adverse affects are inevitable” but claim there would be no “significant” effects on any designated landscape areas. However, they also say that they believe the adverse affects would be offset by the positive effects in terms of the contribution to the local economy, plus regional and national objectives.

A spokesman for the residents group said: “We believe the Green Cat submission to the council was weak and threadbare in its claims about a boost to the local economy.

“It is also unfair in its assessment of level of impact on homes which the report identifies as being affected.”

Some official bodies have also raised concerns over the windfarm including Historic Scotland who say that it would be a “dominant intrusion” to the cairn at Arniefoul.

RAF Leuchars also claims to have misgivings over “several issues” including possible interference with their radar.

The spokesman for the residents group continued: “The Scottish Government wants windfarm developments to take place in the right places and has stressed they should only be built where the impacts have been found to be acceptable.

“This is clearly not the case with the Govals proposal.

“The Green Cat report admits the proposal will ‘affect a range of visual receptors including residents, road users, tourism and people undertaking recreation facilities.’ However, they believe these will be ‘minimal in many cases.’

“There are also a number of properties very near the proposed site, yet Green Cat claims only four will have ‘significant effects’ on their residential amenity.

“The Green Cat report claims that the effect on other homes, who will see the turbines from secondary windows or gardens, will have little or no impact but many of these people are up in arms about what they feel will be the true impact.

“The majority of people are not against windfarms. We are against the windfarms that unnecessarily destroy residents’ amenity and historic landscapes.”

The Green Cat report also states that the TV signals to 205 nearby homes will be affected and measures would have to be taken to rectify the problem.

The residents are also concerned at the report’s admission that the turbines will be seen from Glamis Castle and Kinnettles House.Green Cat also say that it will also visible from a large number of communities and individual rural properties. The areas with the highest risk are listed as Gateside, Milton of Ogilvie and Arniefoul.

There are many others affected including Gallowfauld and Inverarity.

Another major concern is that construction of the proposed wind farm would take four months with an estimated 641 HGV trips to the site along narrow country lanes.

One resident who has already submitted an objection described the area outside Forfar as in danger of becoming “windfarm alley”.

The spokesman for the group concluded: “Residents hope planners and councillors will take into account the potential cumulative effect of this and other planning applications for windfarms.”