Interesting proposals and one I am sure will interest Kintyre Forum readers.
http://forargyll.com/2011/07/sse-back-o ... h-kintyre/
But will the latest area targeted by the company fall foul of the proximity of an adjoining nature reserve and of Sir Paul McCartney, whose High Park farm is in line of sight of the proposed wind turbine site?
SSE retired bruised from a loss sustained against the energetic and highly capable Kintyre Offshore Wind Action Group (KOWAG) who – rightly – saw off in style the company’s absurd proposals for an offshore wind farm that was so close inshore it was practically on the surfing beach beside the two world class Machrihanish golf curses.
Bob Miller of KOWAG, in persistent enquiries of Catherine Tierney, SSE’s Project Manager of the potential windfarm site, finally established exactly where it is proposed to be sited.
It would be located in the forested area south of Machrihanish. The northern site boundary is 3km south of the village and the western boundary is 2-4km from the west coast at different points. The site is east of Cnoc Moy and the Scottish Wildlife Trust Largiebaan nature reserve.
Ms Tierney has told Mr Miller that SSE: ‘… will examine the survey information that comes in and then table the proposed developable area of the site once we have this information. I don’t expect that we will be in a position to do this until next year with a potential planning application in 2013.’
She says that: ‘SSE is currently looking at the area to assess its feasibility as a potential windfarm development and will carry out bird surveys on the land and on the surrounding areas over the next year.
‘We have spoken to The Laggan, Campbeltown and Southend Community Councils about these activities and have also been in touch with landowners adjacent to the proposed site.
‘We have also advised the Planning Department at Argyll & Bute Council, RSPB and SNH that we are carrying out the surveys.
‘We will now gather the information and then speak again with all parties.
‘We do not know at present how many turbines would be proposed until we carry out much more survey work.
‘We are committed to engaging with communities surrounding our development sites at an early stage in the development of the project, as we have done in this case.
‘Once we gather more information we will be in a position to release more information about the proposal. We will consult with local communities through meetings with the Community Councils, Public Information Days, advertisements in local papers and by sending leaflets to households in proximity to the proposed development. We will also set up a website with information about the proposal.
‘We will be undertaking wind resource studies over the next year.’
SSE already operate the Beinn an Tuirc windfarm on the spine of the peninsula which Bob Miller agreed: ‘… is a good example of a sensitive development whose actual benefits outweigh the disbenefits to the environment and community’.
KOWAG is not opposed to wind farms but is actively engaged in scrutinising proposed locations for their environmental and amenity impact
The experienced Mr Miller neatluy positioned his tanks on Mr Tierney;s lawn: ‘Machrihanish is not however a remote moorland high on the spine of Kintyre and many of the reasons that made the Scottish Government withdraw the Kintyre Offshore Windfarm site from their plan for offshore wind will apply to your proposals.
‘No doubt you will already have read the Kintyre section of the government consultation on Offshore Wind and the hundreds of well founded objections from individuals, businesses and public and charitable organisations to that development.
‘It will give you a flavour of both the issues raised and how effective this community is at mobilising expert opinion.
‘Given that experience we are understandably nervous about your plans.
‘What would be very helpful to ease those fears would be to know the grid co-ordinates of your potential site to see where it is in relation to the village and coast.
‘One of the cardinal mistakes SSE made was to to be disingenuous with the community, from their heavily doctored photomontages to their bloated claims for the number of households their development would power, from their doctored shipping study to their infiltrators on the local web forum. They not only lost credibility but engendered real antipathy.
‘In a small community like this everyone is a neighbour – you need to notify all of us of your intentions.’
We note that after receiving this crisp and suggestive communication, Ms Tierney was suddenly very keen to meet Mr Miller soon. He has hammered a stake in the ground already.
