Chairman’s tilt at turbines noise

Domestic applications ‘likely to be rejected’ as manufacturers fail to quantify sound levels

By Emma Christie

Published:

Homeowners in Aberdeenshire hoping to instal domestic wind turbines in built-up areas are likely to have their applications rejected unless manufacturers provide the council with information detailing their impact, a councillor warned yesterday.

Garioch area committee chairman Martin Kitts-Hayes made the comment following the “very reluctant rejection” of proposals to erect a turbine at a home at Kinmuck, near Inverurie.

The committee is now planning to write a letter to companies who make the machinery, urging them to provide facts and figures on expected noise levels.

Under local authority policy, turbines cannot be erected within 230ft of other homes because of the risk of noise pollution.

Yesterday’s application was located within 130ft of another house and planners said they had “inadequate information” to prove the turbine would not cause “noise nuisance” to the neighbour.

Members agreed the issue was an important one – but said they were frustrated that manufacturers had not helped them overcome the problem by carrying out appropriate tests.

Mr Kitts-Hayes stressed the committee was “fully supportive” of wind tur- bines but said the dearth of information left them with little option but to refuse.

“We need to be able, with hand on heart, to say we have sufficient advice to be able to approve or reject an application. At the moment it’s very, very iffy,” he said.

“Basically, what we’re saying is ‘don’t bother coming to the committee, because you won’t get it’. We’re continually going to be faced with this.”

East Garioch councillor Martin Ford reiterated the chairman’s thoughts.

He said: “We really don’t want to send a message that we’re not supportive of these but I think that message is coming through. We need to sort it out so we know where we’re going.”

Dave Robinson, from the council’s environmental health department, said the authority was “getting absolutely nowhere” in its attempts to get more information from manufacturers – in this case Proven Energy.

And he ruled out the council carrying out its own tests on turbines because each site has “geographical differences” meaning results might not be completely accurate.

Nobody from Proven Energy was available for comment last night.