Planned windfarm on Tom na’ h’Airdih

Just been informed of this by a friend. A proposed windfarm on Tom na’ h’Airdih up behind Helensburgh. Fears it may cause access problems. If any of you folks use/have used it as a training hill (or indeed at the Highland games), there’s a group trying to apply for a right of way to be put in place (and need evidence of use over the last 25yrs), to hopefully foil plans.

 I’ve attached some info. if interested this is what they have to say:

Helensburgh Wind Turbines Proposal

As some of you already know, a planning application has been submitted for a wind farm on Tom na’ h’Airdih hill directly overlooking Helensburgh, the National Park, the Clyde and the Gareloch.

The site chosen could hardly be worse, being visible over the whole of the Upper Clyde and from much of the most popular area of the National Park including Balloch Country Park and Conic Hill. As important, it can be seen from the whole of Helensburgh which inevitably has knock on effects on tourism and house prices. To add to the disadvantages of the site, it is only 1.3km from the new houses by Hill House and there is the strong possibility that there will be noise problems and resultant ill health for the residents. The bribe is the community benefit, which is not in any sense certain and is thought will be only about £2.50 per head per year.

Many of us wondered why such a bad position had been chosen. The answer is remarkably simple; it is the only part of Luss Estates not in the National Park and they want a place on the subsidy bandwagon.

If you feel this development would be a major mistake it is still not too late to formally object. You can simply email to: sandra.davies@argyll-bute.gov.uk.

Your Header should read: Objection to Helensburgh Wind Farm 14/01674/PP and the content must include Your Name, Address and Post Code

Its reference number is 14/01674/PP

Please think about this and email that objection soon, we have approximately till the end of December to have objections registered

http://www.helturbines.org/teg-h.html is the link to the group TEG-H

The Turbines Evaluation Group (Helensburgh and area) which has been set up to assess the planning application for a wind farm on a hill overlooking Helensburgh. TEG-H has an independent steering committee and advisers. Please take a look at their website for more information.

If you are planning on objecting to this see the link below

http://www.helturbines.org/your-say.html

Meanwhile you may care to see a short (2 minutes) video produced by TEG-H

to demonstrate the visual impact of the proposed turbines which would be 86.5 metres high and in excess of the A&BC guidelines. The video may be accessed at

http://www.helturbines.org/3d-perspective.html

points to object on are:-

visual impact, impact on recreation and local house prices

the area they have planned is open ridgeland which only allows for turbines up to a height of 20m not the planned 86.5m. to fit in with planning guidelines the turbines would need to be lower than 50 metres in height, adding: “The scale of this proposal (especially in terms of turbine height) is unlikely to be appropriate for this location and may result in very significant adverse landscape and visual impacts.”

It points out that the site is within two kilometres of the Loch Lomond National Scenic Area and only 200m from the national park itself.

Hen harriers and short-eared owls nest ‘in close proximity’ to the site and there are records of black grouse in the area, while the report advises that there should be particular consideration of any potential impact on the Hill House.

The Scottish Government and Argyll and Bute Council have guidelines for planning decisions about wind farms. First, the height of the turbines, at 86 metres to blade tip, is excessive and the council warned the developers of that a year ago. Argyll and Bute Council commissioned an expert report, the Landscape Wind Energy Capacity Study. This said that for ‘open ridgeland’ such as this, there is scope for turbines of less than 20m, and, in some circumstances, even up to 50m. But there are warnings against them rising above the ridge or being seen from the National Park. The proposed turbines would breach these, thus departing from council planning. Next is landscape and visual impact. Impact of this proposal would be huge. It would affect a sweep of areas (including on and across the Clyde and into the National Park) and, unlike most rural wind farms, would be visible in the daily lives of a large population. The official lists include effects on natural heritage, tourism and recreation, residential amenity and other social aspects. The wind farm would be adverse to these to differing degrees. Impacts on core countryside paths and long-distance walking routes must be considered. Helensburgh’s tourism is already being assisted by our network of core paths, the Three Lochs Way and the recent opening of the cross-Scotland John Muir Way to Helensburgh. The turbines would be seriously close to these.