DGWGO were contact this week by the local community from the Village of Glentrool, a Dumfries and Galloway Beauty spot in the heart of the Galloway forest park. They are concerned about a proposed wind farm below is the information they sent us.
Visitors to the wild heart of Scotland’s south west could soon find their views of the Galloway hills
marred by 125 metres high (410 ft) wind turbines. Popular tourist attractions such as the Merrick
and its neighbouring hills, along with scenic routes around Loch Trool could be spoilt by huge
turbines only 1800 meters from the forestry village of Glentrool and visible from much of the Cree
Valley, Newton Stewart and beyond. All this despite the fact that the proposed windfarm site is
bounded on 3 sides by the Galloway Forest Park ‐ internationally recognised as a Dark Sky Park ‐ and
the UNESCO designated Galloway & Southern Ayrshire Biosphere.
A group has been formed to oppose the siting of wind turbines on Balunton Hill/Glencaird Hill beside
the A714. The objectors consider that there has already been excessive encroachment on this
beautiful area, and the time has come to recognise that green energy cannot be pursued at ‘any’
cost. The group’s campaign already has support from the Mountaineering Council of Scotland and
The John Muir Trust. South Ayrshire Council has also raised objections over the development.
The local communities believe that the time has come to recognise and protect their region’s assets,
its natural beauty and heritage, not just for the present, but for the future too. This windfarm on the
very edge of the nationally recognised ‘Wild Land’ of the Southern Uplands should not be
permitted.
Time is very short, objections must be lodged with Dumfries & Galloway Council Planning Office by
8th January 2016. Details of Planning Application Number 15/P/1/0189 can be viewed at Dumfries &
Galloway Council Offices, or via www.dumgal.gov.uk/planning.
The protest group, Glentrool Against Balunton Industrial Turbines (GABITS) can be contacted at
[email protected], www.facebook.com/groups/GABITS2015/, or c/o Glentrool Community
Centre, Glentrool Village, Wigtownshire, DG8 6SY.
We also invite the Pro Wind turbines community to contact us on [email protected] to put forward their side of the argument to make this a balanced discussion.
Pro forma objection available on request.
Application No: 15/P/1/0189
Proposal: ERECTION OF 9 WIND TURBINES (MAXIMUM HEIGHT 125M TO BLADE TIP), 1 PERMANENT ANEMOMETRY MAST, CONTROL BUILDING AND SUBSTATION COMPOUND, TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION COMPOUND AND SECURITY OFFICE, UPGRADING OF SITE ACCESS AND FORMATION OF ACCESS TRACKS AND ASSOCIATED INFRASTRUCTURE
Address: BALUNTON HILL AND GLENCAIRD HILL, 2KM NORTH WEST OF GLENTROOL, GLENTROOL, NEWTON STEWART
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Commenter Type: Complainant, objecting to the planning application.
The proposed development will, both individually and cumulatively, impact visually on the core mountain area of south-west Scotland. This ‘Wild Land’ (Scottish Natural Heritage designation) is rare south of the Highlands and increasingly under attack. If consented, the development would diminish the Wild Land area, the mountain-going experience, and the sense of wildness.
The proposed development stands starkly separate, with a strong visual impact on views from the western hills from Cairnsmore of Fleet to Shalloch on Minnoch. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) indicates between 7 and 9 turbines will be visible across the Merrick range and surrounds, Newton Stewart, south to Wigtown Bay, out towards Stranraer, and the Ayrshire coast in the north.
The proposed development is also immediately adjacent to the Galloway & South Ayrshire Biosphere Buffer Zone. It has been highlighted that significant portions of the EIA are out of date and quite possibly inaccurate, for example locals have identified breeding birds at the site that are considered ‘at risk’. There is no mention of these birds ‘nesting’ in the assessment.
This area relies heavily on tourism for income. The Scottish Government website already documents the ‘significant impact’ of wind farms across Dumfries & Galloway on tourism, and the estimated impact on associated income and job losses. [‘Economic Impact of Wind Farms on Scottish Tourism’, Section 11; Dumfries & Galloway.] The proposed development would be likely to reduce mountain-based recreational spend in the area according to the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (Nov 2015). It also has a much wider impact due to the high visibility of the development from non-mountain areas.
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