Wind farm plan is knocked back

By Iain Grant

Published: 15 May, 2009

A FAR North businessman is considering appealing against the knock-back of his plans to build a five-turbine wind farm.

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Reay garage owner Charlie Sutherland's scheme this week became the fourth in west Caithness to fall foul of the Highland Council.

Once again, the perceived impact on nearby residents was central to the rejection of planning consent.

The five turbines, with a blade-tip height of 100 metres, were proposed to stand 500m apart on ground to the south of Shebster.

Mr Sutherland and his family sought the go-ahead for the turbines, together with access roads, a crannog-style visitor centre, archaeological trail and woodland walk.

The 10-megawatt development would be accessed from the U204 Shebster to Broubster road.

The council's Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross planning applications and review committee went against official advice in unanimously opposing the proposal.

At Tuesday's hearing in Halkirk's Ross Institute, Mr Sutherland said the venture has been in the pipeline for six years.

Alternative sites at Broubster and to the north of Shebster were discounted because of concern about protected birdlife and important archaeological remains.

After settling on the current location, the original plan involved 25 turbines. But concerns from residents that the wind farm would "over-dominate" the landscape led to the deletion of turbines to the east of the site.

Mr Sutherland said the final layout ensured there were no occupied dwellings immediately in front or immediately behind the turbines.

The visitor attractions were added to address concerns that the venture would have a negative effect on tourism.

He told councillors: "We put some thought into the final site. It wasn't just about how we could make as much money as possible from it. We have put a lot of time and effort into negotiating with the community."

Mr Sutherland said his venture accords with the Scottish Government's renewable energy drive and the push to diversify the local economy.

He also insisted the scheme complies with guidelines on noise, shadow flicker and distance of the turbines from dwellings.

Pressed on a turbine being 830m from a house in Mackay Terrace, Shebster, he replied: "At that distance, there will be no noise problems and it's within the laid-down guidelines for separation distances."

Mr Sutherland added: "They (the turbines) will be visible – you can't hide them, but there are positioned so that they won't dominate the view."

Caithness West Community Council and 66 individuals objected to the wind farm.

They cited a welter of concerns ranging from the turbines' closeness to local houses, construction traffic, shadow flicker and the impact on tourism, birdlife and important local archaeological sites.

There were 12 letters of support, together with a 264-signature petition in favour.

Community council chairman Bill Brown claimed its stance reflects local opinion that the turbines are unwanted because of the impact they would have on the area.

He believed that most of those to register support stood to gain financially if the development got the go-ahead.

Shebster resident Celia McDougall said the turbines would unacceptably alter the local landscape.

Mrs McDougall said: "The turbines would be located on sloping ground from 70m above sea level and then extend upwards for 100m. It would be an unacceptable man-made intrusion and Shebster would be totally overwhelmed by them."

Members of the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross planning applications and review committee undertook a site visit this week before turning down plans for a 10-megawatt wind-farm development on ground to the south of Shebster.

She added: "The turbines would have a truly significant long-term, detrimental effect on the area and lives of the people in this settlement. If the wind farm at Baillie got the go-ahead, we would have 21 turbines behind us and five in front of us.

"The people of Shebster would then surely be living in what could be described as an island, surrounded by swirling towers."

Mrs McDougall said 15 houses would be within a kilometre of the nearest turbine.

The wind farm, she added, would ruin the setting of the nearby chambered cairns.

She also opposed the crannog-style centre as a "desecration" of the scenic area.

Another objector, David Craig, from Achreamie, questioned the environmental case being made for the development.

He said the claimed annual savings of 11,300 tons of CO2 from the wind farm equate to just 22 jumbo jet crossings of the Atlantic.

Stuart Young, of Caithness Windfarm Information Forum, said the go-ahead for Shebster would have an unacceptable cumulative impact.

"It would mean that nowhere in the centre of Caithness would you at any stage be out of sight of a wind farm," he argued.

John Webster, from Buldoo, near Dounreay, found it astonishing that planning officials recommended a scheme which would result in a turbine operating just over 800m from a house.

He said: "The proposed assault on the residential amenity of the unfortunate people of Shebster should be obvious."

Councillor David Bremner, Caithness Landward, opposed the scheme because of its visual impact on the area.

He said: "It's absolutely clear that this application will dominate the landscape and affect the A836 tourist route and a national cycle path. We're dealing with 100m high structures and there's nothing in the landscape that would hide the scale of the development."

He was also concerned about the closeness of turbines to housing and their impact on the cairns.

The scheme, he claimed, breaches local and regional planning blueprints as well as the Highland Council's renewable energy strategy.

His motion was seconded by colleague Councillor Robert Coghill, Landward Caithness.

Councillor Graeme Smith, Wick, initially proposed that three turbines be approved and the two closest to Mackay Terrace be either rejected or moved further away.

He said: "In the past, I've been relaxed about turbines being less than a kilometre from houses but in this case the separation is quite stark and I'd be unhappy about that."

Mr Smith later withdrew his amendment after legal advice that it would be incompetent.

After the two-hour hearing, Mr Sutherland said he is considering an appeal.

Committee members previously gave the thumbs-down to wind farms earmarked for Borrowston, Lieurary and Baillie.

The latter was the subject of a recent public local inquiry with the outcome pending.

iain-grant@ukf.net