Joanne Warnock
Plans have been unveiled to display the new designs and layout for a proposed wind farm in Aberdeenshire.
A public exhibition for the new structure at the Fasque and Glen Dye Estate was hosted by Coriolis Energy in Strachan Village Hall yesterday.
The energy company’s development manager, James Baird said: “We still have more surveying to do before the application is ready to go in, but we are looking to have it submitted by June 2017.”
These are the second public exhibitions after the initial plans were exhibited in June and show a downsizing from the original 37-turbine application to 26 structures on the Fasque and Glen Dye Estate.
If it gains approval, the wind farm will be located between Fettercairn and Strachan keeping within the Aberdeenshire boundary.
Alistair Mather, 86, from Finzean who visited the Strachan exhibition, said: “I am totally against wind farms; they are uneconomic.
“It would make more sense to be looking at nuclear energy rather than wind farms, for total efficiency.”
Interactive 3-D software modelling helped show how the wind farm would impact on the landscape from all angles, and from the summit of Cairn o Mount.
However, these provoked mixed views from the public.
Dawn Law, 52 from Strachan, commented: “I can understand they think it’s progress, but I’m not 100% convinced, there are other more efficient ways to get energy without building this blot on the landscape.”
Strachan resident, Peter Reader, 71, said: “I don’t really have an opinion either way. I don’t see the need to build them on land, but I suppose it’s cheaper than building them offshore.”
Another Strachan resident, who enjoys hill-walking, said: “They don’t visually offend me, and I don’t think it looks too bad in its downsized form.”
Coriolis Energy will collate all the public comments they receive and these will be submitted along with the planning application.
Strachan Community Council representative, Sam Wylde, was also collecting feedback and said: “We want to gauge the opinion of those in the community.
“My own concern is that it is a very busy tourist attraction and one that is used a lot by walkers and families.”
The firm will hold another exhibition on behalf of Glendye Wind Farm Ltd at Fettercairn Church Hall today between 3pm and 8pm.