North-east landowner lodges plan to go green

AN ABERDEENSHIRE landowner wants to harness the energy of a fast-flowing burn to supply power to houses on a sprawling estate.

Allargue Estate at Strathdon has applied to Aberdeenshire Council for permission to instal an 11-kilowatt micro-hydro turbine, which will generate enough electricity for nine average households.

The 6,000-acre grouse moor estate has a main house and six cottages, but they are too spread out to all benefit.

Only two, Allargue House and one of the cottages, will receive electricity, with the rest of the power being ploughed into the national grid.

Estate owner Rosemary Walker, 45, who lives in Suffolk, said: “It’s a lot of money but it’s definitely an exciting thing to be able to do.”

Her father, retired Army officer Colonel Miff Tuck, 74, who lives on the estate, came up with the idea for the turbine, which will be installed at Milltown Burn if the scheme receives permission.

He said it could be up to six years for the £60,000 turbine to repay the cost of its initial investment, but it would be worth it in end.

Highland Eco-Design co-director Jamie Wallace is in charge of the project. He said: “Producing enough energy for nine average households might well make the estate carbon neutral.

“Hydro power is a reliable resource so we have a lot of confidence they will get a good return on their investment.”