RIVAL sides in a row over a windfarm planned for Buchan farmland came face to face yesterday at a meeting to discuss the controversial proposal.
Local farmer David Smith wants to build three 300ft turbines across two-and-a-half acres of land near Auchnagatt.
His neighbour, Paul Travis, is opposing the plans however, and claims the masts would be loud and ugly and sit too close to his property.
Both men made their views on the scheme known at a meeting of the Buchan area committee yesterday where councillors were recommended to reject Mr Smith’s application.
Planners said the scheme would have an “adverse impact” on the landscape and would make the countryside “visually cluttered”.
Mr Smith, of Cloffrickford Farm, Auchnagatt, argued that there had been overwhelming support for the project.
He told councillors that during the local authority’s consultation process a number of authorities, including Defence Estates, the National Air Traffic Systems, Ofcom and Scottish Natural Heritage, made no objection.
Mr Smith added that he had delivered leaflets to dozens of homes surrounding the site of the proposed development and the “majority” of responses had been positive.
Mr Travis, of Ceardach, West Skilmafilly, Auchnagatt, said that the turbines would be about 2,000ft from his home and he was “concerned” that the noise they would generate would be “excessive”.
Mr Smith had originally planned to build nine masts, but this was scaled down to four last year after complaints from residents.
The number then dropped to three, but the bid still attracted 24 complaints from people living in the surrounding area.
A planning spokeswoman said the windfarm could “detrimentally change the character of this agricultural heartland part of Aberdeenshire”.
“The overall impact of this development would be unacceptable, both in terms of the overbearing effect on houses nearby and within the wider landscape,” she added.
Mr Smith already has planning permission to put up four turbines at Skelmonae Farm, near Methlick.
The new devices would be built at Cloffrickford, Skilmafilly and Denmore and would link up with the Skelmonae project.
Councillors yesterday agreed to visit the site before ruling on Mr Smith’s application.