Aberdeenshire Council has taken a dramatic stand against towering turbines at Hill of Fare – said to be big enough to confuse airport radar systems.
The plans, years in the making, went before the Marr Area Committee today – with dedicated campaigners issuing passionate pleas to elected members.
Ultimately they achieved a victory in their crusade against the 16-turbine wind farm.
However, a final decision will rest with the Scottish Government.
And developers today pledged that any issues with their plans “would be resolved within days” as they vowed to see the scheme brought to life…
What are the Hill of Fare plans?
Under the plans, the UK’s tallest wind farm would be generating green energy at the spot south of Sauchen and north of Banchory.
Each turbine would measure between 180m and 200m tall.
It’s understood that about 2,000 people have penned angry letters objecting to the development.
What happened at the meeting?
Council officials listed several concerns about the scheme.
They included concerns about the region’s red kite population and the impact on historic areas nearby such as Sunhoney and Christchurch stone circles.
And they explained that Aberdeen International Airport has raised an objection to the proposal due to the “impacts upon radar”.
Documents state: “Work is under way with the applicant and National Air Traffic Services to determine whether a technical solution can overcome the predicted impacts.”
‘They’re absolutely massive’
Community leaders from across Deeside had their say at the talks, which were held over Teams.
Richard Herrington from Inchmarlo, Brathens and Glassel Community Council said it was an “inappropriate site on a prominent hill”.
“They’re absolutely massive,” he added.
Mr Herrington said he had been shown “disturbing animations” of how these machines would look.
He said: “They are a bit like something from a sci-fi horror movie when you see these things bearing down on you…
“We really shouldn’t be imposing this on anybody.”
Alasdair Ross from Banchory Community Council added: “It’s the wrong development in the wrong place.”
And Peter Argyle, from the Torphins community group, said a wind farm on this scale was “unparalleled”.
Hill of Fare wind farm boss on Aberdeenshire Council concerns
Graeme Kerr, a project manager for developers RES, said his Glasgow-based outfit was the “world’s largest renewable energy company”.
He countered that it was not unusual for such major plans to need a bit of ironing out at this stage – and vowed to provide more information to offset the council’s concerns.
Mr Kerr said: “Additional information should be with the Scottish Government and the council this week.
“We expect that this information will fully resolve all those points of objection.”
What do you think of the Hill of Fare plans? Let us know in our comments section below
‘Urgent action is needed’
Mr Kerr later argued that wind turbines such as these do not impact on the tourism industry.
And he stressed the importance of fighting climate change with renewable energy schemes.
“Urgent action is needed,” he implored.
“We think this is a sensible project in a good area.”
Even though councillors voted to object, the plans will go before other Aberdeenshire Council committees before being decided at Holyrood.
Speaking afterwards, committee convener Geva Blackett said: “The strength of feeling was clear – Aberdeenshire Council should object to the proposed wind farm.”
You can see the Hill of Fare plans sent to Aberdeenshire Council here.
Empty house shunned by tenants to be demolished as Banchory Lodge Caravan Park expands
Conversation