Argyll and Bute Council to object to wind farm plans to 'protect visual landscape'

Council officials are set to object to plans for a wind farm near Dunoon after cross-party agreement.

Argyll and Bute Council proposed to register its disagreement on the Giant’s Burn wind farm, which is planned to contain five 200m and two 180m wind turbines.

Officials said that an objection could be lodged on landscape and visual impact grounds after advice from NatureScot and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority.

Councillors agreed that an objection should be lodged at a meeting of the local authority’s planning, protective services and licensing committee on Wednesday.

SNP councillor Gordon Blair said: “When I looked at the pictures from the Western Ferries, we should recognise that it is a 20-minute journey and our footfall on the ferries is quite considerable.

“The other thing I was concerned about was that we did not seem to have any photos of the sunset, which is absolutely world class.

“When you drive down the M8, the vista when it opens up on the Firth of Clyde across to Dunoon is absolutely wonderful.

“That is a concern for me regarding the strobe effect you get from such large wind turbines, which would no doubt make many people in Greenock and Inverclyde feel as if they were living in a Belisha beacon area.”

SNP councillor Audrey Forrest then added: “Having seen some of these pictures, I am all for wind farms and alternative energy, but there is a time and a place, and I think we have a duty to protect the visual landscape.

“I would agree with the decision to put an objection in.”

Conservative councillor Amanda Hampsey agreed: “The proposal would result in significant adverse landscape and visual effects.

“There are serious and unresolved matters regarding deep peat and impacts on the setting of scheduled monuments.

“We must also realise the strength of feeling locally. There have been 914 objections recorded who feel this proposal goes too far and fails to respect the sensitivity of the area.”