Councillors advised to object to planned Garvary Wind farm which could 'ruin' famed outlook from Struie viewpoint
North councillors are being advised to object to a controversial planned wind farm development in Sutherland, which it is claimed will ruin the outlook from a well-known viewpoint.
Members of Highland Council’s North Planning Applications Committee are set to consider an application for Garvary Wind Farm at a meeting next Wednesday, June 7.
Developers Coriolis Energy and ESB are seeking permission to erect 25 turbines of up to 180m in height on a site extending over 18.7ha of land and located roughly 4.5km south of Lairg and 5.5km north of Bonar Bridge.
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The land in question is on Garvary and Achinduich Estates and is approximately 4600m to the north-east of Invershin Community Hall.
The installed capacity of the scheme is 150mw - above the 50mw threshold at which it can be decided by the local authority. Instead it will be up to the Scottish Government to determine the application.
However the local authority is a statutory consultee and can either give its backing to the application or “raise an objection”.
Garvary Wind Farm has been opposed by the Struie Action Group which claims it will “ruin the unspoilt environment and natural heritage, dominating the southern margin of Lairg, views travelling east from Rosehall and the famed Struie viewpoint”.
Highland Council has received 33 objections to the development with one representation in favour while the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit has received 21 objections with one representation in favour.
Creich Community Council lodged an objection on the grounds of adverse individual and cumulative visual and landscape impacts. It also contended that the public consultation process had been inadequate.
Rogart Community Council has also objected on the same grounds as Creich and also on the adverse impacts on the public road network.
In a report prepared for councillors, planners acknowledged that the project had the “potential to contribute up to 150mw of renewable energy capacity towards Scottish Government targets and play a role in the route to a net zero Scotland”.
The report continues: “In addition the development has potential to bring economic benefits to the area and create new jobs.”
But planners added that any benefits must be weighed against potential drawbacks and then considered in the round.
The report states: “It is concluded that the adverse landscape and visual impacts as experienced from within the Dornoch Firth NSA and the Struie viewpoint outweigh the proposals’s benefits as they relate to the production of renewable energy and economic benefits.”
Recommending that an objection be raised, planners added that the “type, location and scale of the development will have an unacceptable impact on the natural environment”.