AN EXTENSION to a windfarm near New Cumnock will go before East Ayrshire Council’s Planning Committee on Friday morning.

Scottish Power want to build 39 wind turbines at Hare Hill, between the village and Kirkconnel.

It has been proposed that the application gets the green light.

The site, which sits less than three miles from the town, covers an area of 567 hectares of mostly farmland, forestry and the existing Hare Hill windfarm.

The application is being favoured by New Cumnock Community Council (NCCC) following an agreement with Scottish Power that the additional community benefits should remain in the community.

NCCC Secretary, Jerry Mulders said: “The Community Council prefers the development at Hare Hill as the visual impact of the project will be shielded from the village by the actual hill itself.

“The Community Council is also supporting the application because the operator has promised to pay £5,000 per mega watt, which is the Scottish Government’s recommended minimum for community benefit. This is a substantial increase on the approximate £1,200/MW that New Cumnock now gets from the original Hare Hill wind farm.” The proposed development will include an upgrade of the existing access track by widening it as well as seven potential borrow pits. The application will have an 18 month construction period with a 25 year operational period.

The project straddles East Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway, with D&G Council already giving the proposal the go ahead.

Muirkirk Community Council are the only objectors on the grounds of over provision of windfarms in the Cumnock and Doon Valley area.

Muirkirk Community Council Chairman, Ian Smith said: “The Community Council has met and discussed the windfarm and has unanimously decided that we’d like to keep our hills the way they are. We get plenty of tourism and we don’t think wind turbines would do the same.” The meeting is set for the Council headquarters in Kilmarnock on Friday morning.