Stuc a' Chroin and Ben Vorich

Stuc a' Chroin and Ben Vorich

Friday 12 November 2010

Lammermuir Hills and Highland Perthshire wind turbines

Yesterday I posted good news about sea eagles. Today it's bad news, at least from my perspective. The Duke of Roxburghe has won a seven year battle to establish 48 wind trubines at Fallago Rig in the Lammermuir Hills, south of Edinburgh. He stands to earn £2.5m a year from the project.

There has been fierce local opposition (supported by David Bellamy) to the turbines, but the Scottish Government continues its obsession with on-shore wind farms. I believe the local community are determined to continue the fight against this decision.

In Highland Perthshire 27 wind turbines south of Aberfeldy were recently approved by the Scottish Government, again against local opposition. To add insult to injury, Perth and Kinross Council, who opposed the development, have been handed the bill for the developer's legal costs.

I suspect the people of East Lothian and Highland Perthshire will not forget all this when the Scottish Election takes place next May.

Edit: Don't buy a house in upland Scotland. You won't like what will, in time, arrive on your doorstep.

7 comments:

Alan Sloman said...

What a dismal Government they have up there. Golf courses, wind farms etc etc....

afootinthehills said...

Alan - sad, but true. As someone said recently, The Southern Upland Way is rapidly becoming 'The Southern Windfarm Way'. Earlier in the week Lynne and I were in the Ochils but I just couldn't bring myself to photograph the new 13 turbine Burnfoot Windfarm - we could barely look.

I hope your hand is well healed by now. That looked a very nasty injury.

As for Trump and his Golf course............

Anonymous said...

Hi Gibson

Are the ones near Aberfeldy being sited on the Farragons by any chance?

i was back up on the Berwyns a few days back and it was clearer than it had been on the previous visit in October. I couldn't believe how many clusters of these things are now installed on the hills of mid and north Wales.

afootinthehills said...

Byeways - the newest one, Calliacher will be about 5km south of Aberfeldy and north of Loch Freuchie. It will lie west of the A826 while the Griffin windfarm, already underway and comprising 68 turbines, lies to the east of the A822 near Amulree. Appalling.

I've heard about Wales from various sources and it sounds equally as bad as Scotland.

afootinthehills said...

Byeways - Correction: The Griffin Windfarm is east of the A826 not the A822 as I now understand it. Apologies.

Oldmortality said...

The real tragedy is that these turbines are neither an efficient or sustainable way to generate electricity. When the grants run out the companies will cut and run, leaving the rusting hulks to pollute our hills for generations

afootinthehills said...

Oldmortality - this is so true. The Scottish Government is, however, determined to stick with their declared energy policy and that means more and more wind turbines. It seems that local opinion and that of local elected representatives is of little concern to Jim Mather etc.

Off-shore will eventually take over, no doubt, but the damage to landscape will aready be done. Not that I look forward to them sited off-shore either. Thanks for your comment and for visiting.