NEW Cumnock resident, Jerry Mulders, has produced a cumulative windfarm map showing how many wind turbines are being planned around his home village.

He told the Chronicle: “It was not until I added them together that the scale of it became overwhelming. If it keeps going at the rate it has in the last few years, New Cumnock will be completely encircled.

“I thought folk ought to know what is being planned from a cumulative perspective, rather than one project after another, here or there.

“If individuals have concerns over the scale of these industrial scale turbines, one option would be to take it up with their local political representative.”

Mr Mulders is concerned that the proliferation of turbines is getting out of control, despite a number of community benefit schemes being set up.

Ian Howat, chairman of Improving New Cumnock (INC), a charity established in 2007, said: “he wind speeds here are amongst the highest in Europe so it’s a great place to generate clean, green energy.

“INC continues to promote the regeneration of the area through the provision of recreational facilities and other projects all with the aim of benefiting the inhabitants of New Cumnock”.

Cronberry, Logan and Lugar Community Council chairman, Brian Broadley added: “An equity sharing scheme is just one of a number of reasons that the community is backing the Lethans Wind Farm. Also, we recognise the importance of creating a sustainable network of renewable energy”

One anti-windfarm group, Scotland Against Spin (SAS), have been active at local and national levels for a number of years.

Their aim is the reform of the Scottish Government’s wind energy policy and support for all those they claim are adversely affected by it.

A spokesman for the group said: “Resisting further wind development at every level is essential to reaching the tipping point which will force policy change.”

They are currently working with a fellow group of campaigners, called The Independent Noise Working Group (INWG), who claim to have evidence that ‘wind turbine noise does cause annoyance and sleep deprivation and therefore harm to affected local residents’, based on extensive research.