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20 September 2011

HIGHLAND COUNCIL REJECTS DRUIM BA

A rather nice surprise today: From the BBC website:

Plans for 23 turbines at Druim Ba between Kiltarlity and Abriachan have been rejected by Highland councillors. The turbines would reach to 149.5m (490ft) from the ground to the tip of a blade at its highest point.

Developer Druim Ba Sustainable Energy is proposing creating the wind farm in a forestry plantation. ‘Druim Ba Say No’ Action Group has opposed the planning application. The Scottish government has still to consider the project.

A local Highland Council planning committee voted against the plans. Councillors said the visual impact and the effect on an important tourist area would be unacceptable.”

Monadhliath Ring of Steel

THE MONADHLIATH RING OF STEEL

So – It’s up to Alex and his merry band now. I just wonder: If this one can be stopped there’s every chance that Allt Duine can be too.

13 comments:

  1. Sounds hopefully Alan. Did you see in the Sunday Times or Telegraph that owners of wind turbines were paid I believe £2.6 million to switch off their turbines because of the tail end of Hurricane Katia? That is not acceptable and you can understand why so many landowners want a piece of the action !

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  2. It's great news but on previous form I have to say that I think Alex and his merry band will run roughshod over the opinion of anyone who has the temerity to disagree with him. It wouldn't be the first time :-(((

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  3. At a meeting at Elgin I challenged Alex Salmond and John Swinney on the record of Energy Consents and the Minister over-riding local planning committees. Neither were comfortable and tried to deny it happens. In this case it was not a majority vote, it was unanimouse. I shall continue to put pressure on these elected representatives to honour the spirit of local democracy. The deciding issue on this was a committed bunch of individuals who pushed this through against all odds and a group of councillors that with the will of the people standing at their shoulders were emboldened enough to take on the big boys. Well done to all of them. For those in similar circumstances there is no doubt that the flying of a blimp at blade height has a sobering effect even on the most ardent enthusiast of wind,

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  4. John's excellent appraisal of events can be found HERE

    If Salmond's Energy Consents Unit try to push this one through they will be seen publicly as crass hooligans - trashing landscapes in spite of the electorate's wishes.

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  5. This is good news, let's hope is the start of new trend.

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  6. Great day yesterday - all feeling a little lighter. We still have work to do. There is plenty for us to investigate and look into. Do the decent thing DBSE and withdraw this application because we are not finished with you by a long way!
    If anyone out there wondered about the value of flying a blimp at turbine height, yesterday proved it was the best thing we could do. I asked a councillor whether it had made any difference and she said most definitely. The DBSE guy waffled at every stopping point trying to play down the impact of the wind farm with a huge orange balloon flying high for all to see. He looked a bit of a twit to be honest. Priceless! I was able to tell all present that the blimp was only 6m wide - blade span 100m and that the blimp was flying 50m lower in the sky because DBSE refused us permission to fly from the highest turbine site. That stunned them a bit.
    I cannot recommend it highly enough and Liz Steele from Visual Reality who owns the blimp. She is sympathetic to our cause, does a first rate job and keeps the costs as low as she can. Thank you Liz you did an amazing job for us - again.

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  7. Something of a victory - well done to all those who were involved. Hopefully, this will start something of a trend in rejecting such applications - enlightening the powers that be to the folly of wind energy and demonstrating how unpopular they become when the public's wishes are ignored.

    But the war must continue. Alex and his cronies must be made to see the error of their ways, too.

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  8. It's an utter outrage Sir.

    Blasted namby pamby nimbies stopping progress an all that.
    Nothing wrong with Windmills Sir.
    I likes a jolly windmill sir.
    Why, when we were nippers, we would often go down to the seaside and play with windmills, and damned fine things they are too sir.
    Nanny would always buy us windmills, and we would go and look at the common people eating sand and stuff.
    Bloody Tourism, has let a load of yobo's and packer types on to our land. Walking wherever and whenever they want to.
    It's a bloody disgrace.
    I'll not stand for it sir I tell you.

    Sir ScottishLandOwnerAndRichTooAndPoliticiansEatingOutofMeHandCertainlyAreSirLotsOfMoney (Mrs)

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  9. Aye that indeed is good news Alan. I was doing some 'light' windfarm reading last week and discovered some of the plans for the hills around Lairg. The whole of one side of Loch Shin will be covered in turbines if the developers get their way, simply shocking. If all proposed windfarms in central Sutherland go ahead there could be 188 turbines in a small area.
    http://www.northern-times.co.uk/News/Wind-farm-plan-may-mean-188-turbines-in-Lairg-area-7165884.htm

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  10. The reason that Loch Shin is targeted so heavily is the low density of settlement thereabouts. That mean virtually no opposition and an easier ride through planning - Not that planning is much of an impediment to the developers - the local council says "no" and Edinburgh says "Yes" - Job Done.

    These politicians are destroying the locals' lives and livelihoods and the general public isn't really aware of the problem because of the supine press.

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  11. The Loch Shin Line:
    http://windfarmaction.wordpress.com/2011/09/05/the-30-kilometre-coast-to-coast-line-of-turbines/

    A good link to the Northern Times here. Caithness and Sutherland are a target for wf developers. Where they find councils receptive to them they are like bees round a honeypot. Local MSP Rob Gibson is an enthusiastic proponant of the industry. Locals are not. Strathy Wind Farm(135 turbines) is a prime example where the chair of the local cc is supportive. She is like Mrs Slocombe "I am unanimous in this" Vague mutterings of financial interests are rife. Few support her.

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  12. One for the Diary. Ayr Wind Farm Conference on 11/11/11 at Ayr Race Course Conference Centre. Great load of speakers. see link http://www.communitiesagainstturbinesscotland.com/windfarm-conference/

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