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‘My childhood home has been changed forever by wind turbines’: Fears rural tranquility of Cabrach will be lost to ‘onslaught’ of giant turbines

New turbines proposed for the area could be 50% higher than any already in the Cabrach.

Conrad Lee wearing jacket outside family home.
Conrad Lee, 24, has lived in the Cabrach for 11 years. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

When Conrad Lee moved to the Cabrach with his parents as a schoolboy, the rural area was untouched by wind turbines.

The landscape was almost exactly as it was during the days of illicit distilling, which gave birth to the Speyside whisky industry we have today.

Today the area is now home to 77 wind turbines up to 410ft tall. Some standing 50% higher at 650ft are currently in planning to reach net zero targets.

If approved, the structures would dwarf any other building in Moray at 10 times the height of the Dufftown Clock Tower and five times the height of Covesea Lighthouse near Lossiemouth.

Graphic showing size of turbines compared to Lossiemouth lighthouse.
How turbines in the Cabrach compare to Covesea lighthouse in Lossiemouth. Image: DC Thomson Design

Worries about the plans have led to concerns the Cabrach is on the tipping point of overdevelopment of wind turbines.

For Conrad, it means childhood memories of growing up in one of the last mainland wildernesses could be confined to the past.

‘Cabrach has felt like a place out of time’

Conrad’s previous family home was in nearby Huntly. However, with concerns growing about town-life, they opted to swap it for rural bliss in 2011.

At the time there were no large wind turbines in the Cabrach and the hills and winding roads looked much like they did in the prior decades.

Conrad Lee with rural scenery behind.
Conrad Lee’s family values the rural tranquility of the Cabrach. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Clashindarroch was the first to arrive with construction competed in 2015 before Dorenell quickly followed.

Two more have already gained planning permission with larger turbines already proposed for potential future developments.

Conrad, 24, said: “The place has gradually changed dramatically in terms of the landscape over the years.

“It was totally unblemished when we moved here. The first ones went up about two years later. It has been a steady onslaught with wind farms encroaching ever since.

Wide view of Lower Cabrach.
Turbines could be built on the hill overlooking the Lower Cabrach. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

“The Cabrach has always had a bit of mystique about it. Sometimes it feels like it’s a place out of time, untouched by modernity.

“All of a sudden it feels like modernity is racing in to take it away.

“I think it’s a great tragedy, personally. There’s something to be said for preserving a rural way of life.”

Cabrach community coming together to oppose wind turbines

The third wave of wind turbines proposed for the area has led to the creation of the Saving the Cabrach campaign.

The Cabrach Trust and Cabrach Community Association have both voiced concerns about the number of wind farms that could be built there.

They fear the fragile community, which is home to about 70 people, could collapse if more developments are allowed.

Map of turbines in the Cabrach.

Developers say they have taken account of existing turbines to minimise the impact on the community.

However, Conrad has seen the community binding together in a way he has never seen before to oppose the plans.

The 24-year-old hopes to move to London for a career in the police in the near future, but says he will always call the Cabrach home.

He said: “There’s been more of an influx of families coming to the area recently.

“There’s been more of an attempt to create a community spirit, perhaps in reaction to that.

Conrad Lee sitting on bench outside family home.
The collective concerns in the Cabrach have brought the community closer together. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

“I’ve met and spoken to a lot of people I probably never would have because of what has been occurring.

“It’s created much more of a bond between people, which has been an unintended effect of the plans.”

Read more about wind turbine concerns in the Cabrach

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