A WIND energy firm has attacked Highland Council for failing to back its plans for a new windfarm near Inverness which it claims would bring £100million investment and dozens of jobs to the Highlands in difficult economic times.
Druim Ba Sustainable Energy (DBSE) wants to instal 23 turbines, each 490ft high, in the Druim Ba forest near Kiltarlity, but council planners have recommended councillors reject the application at a planning comm-ittee meeting on Tuesday.
Officials have cited “adverse visual impact on the locality surrounding the site” among grounds for refusal. Due to the size of the proposal, however, the final decision will lie with Scottish ministers.
DBSE claims rejecting the proposal would result in a significant missed opportunity for Highland businesses and could lead to further redundancies.
The renewable energy firm said yesterday they are surprised at the council recommendation given that the windfarm would bring upto 55 jobs and £7.7millionof community benefits ata time of public-sector cuts and growing unemployment.
The company added that the development, where individual turbines would be installed in clearings in the forest, would protect and improve plants and wildlife on the estate, benefit the community and provide facilities, such as car parks, picnic tables and cycle tracks leading to a significant increase in recreation and tourist activity.
A DBSE spokesman said: “The project is a perfect fit for Scottish Government targets for inward investment, economic growth, renewable electricity, forestry, recreation and tourism. An objection to this project would represent a significant missed opportunity for local businesses and communities, and may result in further redundancies in Highland industries and businesses, a large number of which support this project.”
The firm is angry that the planning department is recommending refusal despite there being no objections from any other statutory consultees including Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
The council’s own environmental health and archae-ology departments have not objected to the plans and neither have Transport Scotland, VisitScotland, or the RSPB. The proposal attracted 425 letters of support and 330 letters of objection. Four of the local community councils, Kiltarlity, Inverness West, Glenurquhart and Kilmorack, are against the proposals but Beauly Comm-unity Council has backed the plans.
Members of campaign group against the windfarm, Druim Ba Say No, plan to fly a blimp over the area to demonstrate the height of the turbines during a site visit by the Inverness, Badenoch and Strathspey planning comm-ittee on Tuesday, prior to a decision being made. Member Lyndsey Ward said the development would have a “devastating effect” on a “beautiful” area.
