A WIND farm near Sanquhar has been given the green light after Dumfries and Galloway Council approved the planning application for nine turbines - despite recommendations that the development be refused.
Twentyshilling Hill Wind Farm, less than three miles south of Sanquhar, was approved at a Planning Committee meeting last week.
The development proposal included; • approximately five miles of new and upgraded site tracks; • on-site borrow pits; • underground electricity cables; • a permanent anemometry mast.
Two local community councils - Royal Burgh of Sanquhar and District Community Council and Kirkconnel and Kelloholm District Community Council - both came out in support of the project.
Penpont Community Council and Scottish Natural Heritage both raised no objection to the application from developer Element Power.
An objection did come from Council Landscape Architect (CLA) due to significant adverse landscape, visual and cumulative effects.
National Air Traffic Services (NATS) also objected, claiming that the development is likely to cause false primary plots to be generated Lowther Hill Radar and Great Dun Fell as well as reduce the respective radar’s ability to detect real aircraft.
The assessment of impacts on communities included noise, shadow flicker and visual dominance assessments.
There are only two dwellings located within 1.2 miles of the of the proposed wind farm neither was deemed to be visible, ruling out visual dominance or shadow flicker.
Twentyshilling would be 1.5 miles from the nearest turbine.
Councillors approved the application subject to conditions.
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