TEXT of article for Galloway News - pictures were omitted and text changed by sub editor

‘ This place would make a blockhead into a poet’

Robert Burns, Balmaclellan 1793

[Across The Ken - GLARE postcard]

This watercolour  of the view towards Blackcraig Ridge over Loch Ken was painted in 2004 by local Balmaclellan resident the late Mrs Patricia McCrow, who was a founder member of Galloway Landscape And Renewable Energy (GLARE). The group was formed out of concerns that the proposed 23 wind turbines standing 365’ high along the 2.5 mile length of Blackcraig ridge would intrude into the rural beauty and character of the Glenkens, detracting from its natural and cultural heritage and deterring tourists, who make such a valuable contribution to our local economy.

More than seven years on, we now know that in 2011 the Scottish Government overturned the local decision to reject the plan, paying scant heed to the wishes of our locally elected councillors, the evidence presented at the Public Local Inquiry and objections, among many others, from Europa Nostra, the Saltire Society, Sir Ranulph Fiennes and other well-known people as well as numerous academics studying the relationship of Thomas Carlyle to the landscape at Craigenputtock, his ‘wilderness’ home where he wrote the world famous ‘Sartor Resartus’.

[Photo looking from Craigenputtoch Estate towards Blackcraig Ridge]

"It is certain that for living and thinking in I have never since found in the world a place so favourable’’ Thomas Carlyle on living at Craigenputtoch

It is also clear that the Scottish Government is determined to steamroll its plans for massive windfarm developments all over the country since, as Alex Salmond said to a GLARE protestor, ‘People will get used to them.’ So far, the Scottish Government has determined 25 applications for wind farms of more than 50MW, with 20 being approved and five refused.

And this rush for wind turbines of all sizes continues despite mounting evidence that, as Prince Philip commented, this particular technology is ‘useless’; wind turbines don’t work unless it’s windy; they are switched off when it is too windy; they receive ‘constraint payments’, amounting to £8 million this last year alone in compensation for producing electricity but not being able to sell it, for example on windy summer nights when the National Grid can’t use it and the money to pay for it comes out of price hikes in our electricity bills across the board, rich or poor, elderly or infirm. Wind turbines are also potentially dangerous as the recent fire and collapse in high winds shows; they are noisy and disruptive to humans living nearby and potentially fatal to many creatures, especially birds and bats on whom our ecosystems depend.

The Stewartry is increasingly dependent on its tourism potential. In October The Scotsman reported spending by overseas visitors in Scotland slumped by 17% during the first half of 2011 with an 8% drop in the number of foreign visitors. In contrast, the number of foreign visitors to the UK as a whole and the amount they spent rose by 5%. GLARE supporters are not the only residents who fear that tourists will not welcome visiting Scotland with ever more wind turbines like those strung out across the Braes o’Doune by Stirling Castle or massive pylons dwarfing the Wallace Monument or the 56 turbines planned around St John’s Town of Dalry.

The Stewartry has a long, proud and independent history of fortitude and courage under duress. GLARE calls on all its residents to demand true stewardship of our common heritage, which we only hold in trust for those to come, which protects the common interest of us all.‘

HAVE YOU SEEN THE PROPOSED AREA OF SEARCH FOR LARGE AND MEDIUM WINDFARMS IN THE GLENKENS?

IF YOU DON’T AGREE WITH THESE PROPOSALS, THEN PLEASE OBJECT BEFORE FRIDAY 22 JULY BY WRITING TO:

Development Planning, Planning & Environment Services,

Dumfries & Galloway Council, Rae Street, Dumfries DG1 1LW                                                                             Email: LDP@dumgal.gov.uk

ALSO ASK YOUR LOCAL COUNCILLORS TO VOTE AGAINST THIS PROPOSED INDUSTRIALISATION OF OUR LANDSCAPE HERITAGE AND LET MSPs, MPs and MEPs KNOW YOUR OPINION TOO!

GLARE (Galloway Landscape And Renewable Energy) will be making a submission opposing this proposed area of search for large and medium windfarms in the Glenkens in particular and welcomes any endorsement or help you may care to offer.  Please register your support.

GLARE - Galloway Landscape And Renewable Energy -  was launched in November 2004  by a group of concerned Galloway residents in reaction to the proliferation of proposals & planning applications to build enormous wind farms (power stations) in Dumfries and Galloway and all over Scotland. [ read more ]

For the past seven years, GLARE has been campaigning to STOP The Blackcraig Wind Farm near Balmaclellan on the edge of the Glenkens 
[ read more ]

GLARE is deeply concerned about the cumulative & adverse impacts that 1 consented (Wether Hill) and 3 proposed (Blackcraig, Margree & Darngarroch) wind power stations totalling 211 megawatts within 10 miles of each other, would have on the environment and landscape of the Glenkens.
[ read more ]

GLARE argues for a more balanced approach to renewable electricity generation and is therefore opposed to Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 6, a misguided policy draft that would in its present form, give the green light to hundreds more wind power station proposals through its preferential promotion of onshore wind. [ read more ]

For good impartial factual information, click here for the latest news from Wind Watch, or subscribe for regular News Updates.

GLARE is working with the Carlyle Craigenputtock Circle, a group set up to draw attention nationally to the only privately owned home of Thomas (and Jane) Carlyle, a Scottish philosopher and writer from the 19th Century. This home is now under threat from 3 wind power stations which would directly overlook and damage the original character of an 18th century farmhouse situated in a rural wilderness area of outstanding beauty. Thomas Carlyle wrote his first major piece of work at Craigenputtock and when he left for London in the 1830s, he always longed to return to the solitude of his former home. Click Here to visit the Craigenputtock website.

GLARE is working with the Glenkens Historic Houses Association, an association of owners of historic houses within the Glenkens and its immediate vicinity, places of immeasurable importance within the context of our natural and cultural heritage that are affected by the proposed development. The Association came into existence as a result of concerns felt about the cumulative impact a number of wind power station applications would have to the area’s history and historic properties, many of which have close historical ties.

               DON'T   BACK THE  FLAWED       BLACKCRAIG              DECISION

GLARE calls on the incoming Government of the Scottish people on  6 May to revisit the flawed decision made by the minority SNP administration on its last day in office.

Following our letter to Jim Mather (below) his  outgoing Government dismissed DG Council's arguments about prominent ridgelines and possible losses to tourism and passed the Blackcraig application on his very last day in office! The SNP Government got it badly wrong!

GLARE Blackcraig Movie high res  is on YouTube

Action now, please on the grid connection application!

SP Transmission have now put out their plans to build the grid connection that would connect Blackcraig, Margree, Knockman and Loch Hill. Responses must be made by  13 May. If you objected before you should get a letter but in any case please reject the proposal.

• Do you really want 56 wind turbines in the Glenkens?
• A new grid connection will mean even more turbines probably and Darngarroch is still in Scoping.
  
• If you agree please register your agreement by using our register to sign in and make a comment. GLARE will petition the incoming Government to re-examine the decision. 
  

Please look at the SPT grid connection proposals in the local libraries  or get the Non Technical Summary FREE from

Blackcraigmargree.projectmanager@sppowerssystems.com

Register your objection to the grid connection by completing the online form on the Scottish Government website

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/Energy-Consents/Support-object

PLEASE REGISTER WITH GLARE AS WELL TO JOIN OUR PROTEST. WE HAVE BEEN OBJECTING NOW FOR SEVEN YEARS AND THE DEVELOPERS HAVE BEEN GIVEN ANOTHER FIVE YEARS TO BUILD SUCH A MONSTROSITY ON OUR BELOVED AND PROMINENT RIDGELINE DESPITE THE LEGITIMATE OBJECTIONS OF OUR ELECTED COUNCILLORS.

THE RESIDENTS OF THE GLENKENS HAVE A LONG AND PROUD HISTORY OF INDEPENDENT THOUGHT AND ACTION AND WE SHALL NOT LET THEM AND THOSE WHO PROTESTED ALONGSIDE US DOWN!

GLARE's recent letter to the Minister who allowed Blackcraig- he's gone now, but not Scot-free!

Jim Mather MSP,
Minister for Energy, Enterprise & Tourism
Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh EH99 1SP 24 February 2011
AN OPEN LETTER TO MR JIM MATHER MSP, MINISTER FOR ENERGY, ENTERPRISE & TOURISM
Dear Mr Mather,
Today is the seventh anniversary of the first meeting of local Glenkens residents to discuss the issue of the siting of wind power stations in Galloway, and specifically the Blackcraig development proposal IEC 3/153.
As we enter our eighth year without any decision on Blackcraig, I write again, on behalf of our supporters, to bring to your urgent attention GLARE’s submission to Dumfries & Galloway Council concerning the Loch Hill wind power station at Lochinvar by St John’s Town of Dalry, which is the fourth such proposal in an area of some five square miles since the Blackcraig proposal was lodged: Darngarroch (Scoping s 36), Margree (application lodged September 2006), Knockman (application lodged February 2010) and Loch Hill (application lodged December 2010).
A brief look at that the objection to Loch Hill 10/P/2/0417 (attached below) will indicate that GLARE bases its objections to the Loch Hill proposal on the same grounds as those on which Dumfries & Galloway Council rejected the Blackcraig proposal namely:
 GLARE has no hesitation, therefore, in making the same submission in framing its objection to the application that the development is contrary to Stewartry Local Plan General Policy 7 because it would result in a material adverse effect on the landscape character and amenity of the area.
 GLARE has therefore no hesitation in making a similar submission in framing its objection to the application on the grounds that the development is contrary to Stewartry Local Plan 2.5.3 as well as contrary to Structure Plan Policies S21 and S22
as a consequence of its adverse impact on a Tourist Area, most particularly its impact on the Southern Upland Way.
Following its examination of the Loch Hill application, GLARE is convinced that the grounds on which the democratically elected councillors of all political persuasion voted on no fewer than five occasions between 2006-7, each time with an increased majority, are valid and pertinent in rejecting the Loch Hill proposal too.
With regard to the Core Principles of Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) which state:
* The system should be genuinely plan-led, with succinct development plans setting out ambitious, long-term visions for their area. They must be kept up to date, and provide a practical framework within which decisions on planning applications can be made with a degree of certainty and efficiency.
* The primary responsibility for the operation of the planning system and service is with local and national park authorities.
* Confidence in the planning system needs to be reinforced through: the efficient and predictable preparation of plans and handling of applications; transparency in decision-making and reliable enforcement of the law and planning decisions.
* The constraints and requirements that planning imposes should be necessary and proportionate.
* The system should operate to engage all interests as early and as fully as possible to inform decisions and allow issues of contention and controversy to be identified and tackled quickly and smoothly.
* There should be a clear focus on the quality of outcomes, with due attention given to the sustainable use of land, good design and the protection and enhancement of the built and natural environment.
GLARE submits to the Government of the Scottish people through the Minister that:
 Dumfries & Galloway Council acted responsibly in accordance with its Development Plan, consisting of The Structure Plan and the Finalised Stewartry Local Plan and in accordance with all other advice such as the Landscape Character Assessment as it argued and demonstrated in the Public Local Inquiry February 2008-December 2010.
 After seven years of making its local contribution in the planning process GLARE is sceptical that many local residents retain much confidence in the ‘reliable enforcement of the law and planning decisions’ when they see yet another application for a wind power station attempting to violate the selfsame safeguards of Structure Plan Policy S21 and S22 as well as Stewartry Local Plan Policy G7.
 We fear that there is no clear focus on the quality of outcomes or due attention given to the sustainable use of land, good design and the protection and enhancement of the built and natural environment.
In conclusion, in order to facilitate his decision, GLARE extends a cordial invitation to the Minister to visit the area as our guest and to see it for himself. Since, however, we realise that the Minister is probably very busy and his timetable very full, we invite him to view, in the meantime, two slideshows prepared by supporters of GLARE which illustrate the character and quality of the landscape which makes for such a sense of place, local and national identity in this area of the Glenkens. They also reveal the depth of understanding and feeling among local people for the natural and cultural environment that the area inspires which in its turn feeds into the tourism industry which is a mainstay of the local and increasingly national economy.
These issues are the subject of the Declaration of Lochinvar appended below which has to date some two hundred names in its support.
Yours sincerely,
Alison Chapman for and on behalf of the supporters of GLARE

The Declaration of Lochinvar
We, the undersigned, being residents, neighbours or otherwise friends of the area known as Lochinvar by Saint John’s Town of Dalry in the Glenkens, Galloway:
 recognising its outstanding natural beauty and abundant wildlife including endangered species;
 cognisant of its prominent position in the landscape of the Glenkens and the area surrounding Loch Ken;
 having in mind the rich historic legacy of the Glenkens itself and notwithstanding the international recognition of the name Young Lochinvar and the Gordon family in the history of the Scottish people and the works of Sir Walter Scott;
 and fearing the economic consequences of loss of tourism as well as local amenity capital, especially now the area has been designated a Dark Sky Park – only the third in the world and the first in Europe
 we call on the Government of the Scottish people to have due regard for the conservation of this area and protect it from inappropriate development as a site for an industrial wind power station.
Furthermore, we ask the Scottish Government to entreat with the Government of the United Kingdom, in these times of economic stringency, to end the use of public monies to encourage the development of inappropriately sited wind power stations.
LOCHINVAR , October 8th 2010

URGENT! PLEASE WRITE TO DG COUNCIL PLANNING OFFICES 4 MARKET ST CASTLE DOUGLAS ABOUT THE LOCH HILL PROPOSAL BEFORE FEBRUARY 8TH - SEE BELOW!

LOCH HILL WIND FARM APPLICATION 10/P/2/0427

Pat Rigg and Charles Douglas, who both sadly died last year, were stalwart in support of GLARE at the Public Local Inquiry 2008 into the still, even now, undecided Blackcraig Wind Farm.   Charles, an expert on birds, pointed out the many shortcomings in the SSE Environmental Impact Statement [EIA] over data, especially to do with raptors; Pat undertook the mammoth task of conducting bat surveys, learning how to use a bat monitor because bats around Blackcraig Ridge had been ignored.

GLARE is in sore need of their expertise and integrity now when we look at 2020 Renewables’ application for 11 turbines on Loch Hill at Lochinvar, part of Duchrae, the hill-farm for which the new owners obtained permission for forestry last year. The application must be responded to at the Council Planning Offices, 4 Market St, Castle Douglas DG7 1BE  by February 8^th. In the case of birds: over the lifetime of the wind farm, the EIA estimates 8.33 Red Kites will collide with the turbines [EIA App 10.2] but it argues that is an acceptable number of birds being killed because, after all, the Red Kite are illegally poisoned at about that rate and they haven’t died out again yet![EIA 10.59 ff]

Lochinvar is frequented by 8 bat species which are all supposedly protected by the EC Habitats Directive. The developer acknowledges [EIA  9.158] these bats are of international value and the potential impact of a wind farm on many of them ‘significant’ [EIA 9.11] - their lungs explode, like a person with ‘the bends’, when they are caught in the drop in pressure by the blades [National Geographic 28 Oct 2010].

Loch Hill Wind farm Zone of Visual Influence [ZVI] extends beyond 35km. There are 22 consented or operational wind farms and 51 in planning within 60 km of Loch Hill. When you write  to DG Council, tell them what, in your view,   is the likely

• impact on residents’ sense of place, lives, businesses
• impact on cultural and natural heritage
• impact on tourism and our local and national economy

SW Scotland has only 5% of the UK land mass but it already has over 27% of the UK’s consented wind turbines. Do we need or want any more?

Visual Impact The developers state [7.171]: ‘From each of the settlements considered, the Loch Hill windfarm will be seen in the context of the other windfarms on the hills around the site.  The addition of eleven turbines to the groups of turbines made up by Knockman Hill [5], Margree[17], Blackcraig [23] Hill Windfarms will not substantially alter the perception of the views around the settlements.  It is therefore judged that the cumulative impacts on settlements arising from the addition of the proposed Development in the context of the cumulative windfarms considered will be of minor to negligible significance.’ 

In other words, if you have already got wind turbines, they say a few more won’t make any difference! 

Please, therefore, take a moment to write also to the Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, Jim Mather MSP. Tell him why the Glenkens is an inappropriate place  for  industrialisation by any wind turbine power stations, even if there were no doubts about how little electricity they actually produce, or how little CO2 they actually save, or the amount of conventional back-up they need or the huge amount of money they cost us  or problems about the noise they make or their impact on wildlife and nearby residents.

Jim Mather MSP

The Scottish Parliament,

Edinburgh EH99 15P

Or send an email to: scottish.ministers@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Press Release  2. 01.2011

NO PLACE FOR WIND GIANTS

Residents might be forgiven for thinking spooks were abroad in St John’s Town of Dalry, Dumfries & Galloway, as night fell on January 1^st. Passers-by were intrigued as a small group of ‘White Yule Boys’ accompanied by two fiddlers performed their dumbshow . Two masked figures fighting over a curious large wind turbine-like structure. The white knight in the helmet had a sign round his neck  that read ‘No wind giants here’ and he made short work with his stick of the obviously dastardly villain in the black hat who sloped off into the darkness with the wind turbine.

Guising, called ‘mumming’ in England  was once  common practice at this time of year and may even date back to prehistoric times as a celebration of the winter solstice and the turning of the seasons when the ‘good’ knight of the spring to come in the new year lays waste the ‘evil’ knight of winter.

‘Some of our younger members have been researching old customs,’ says Alison Chapman Co-ordinator of  GLARE (Galloway Landscape And Renewable Energy), the group responsible for first-footing and performing the event in several locations over the Glenkens.

‘The application for 11  wind power turbines at Lochinvar just north of Dalry was the trigger for members to come out and take part in one of the oldest folk play traditions in Scotland. Most people will know the expression Young Lochinvar but how many people, even those who live close, know that Young Lochinvar lived just up the road at the loch where these wind turbines are planned?

‘In Sir Walter Scott’s poem ‘Marmion’  you can read the tale about how ‘Young Lochinvar  came out of the west’  to snatch his true love away from the villain who was just about to marry her so two young GLARE members, both musicians, adapted that story to fit in with the guisers folk play. They do not want to see the hills of the Glenkens disfigured by industrial wind giants but, even more, they want to draw attention to the fact that this technology is as ineffective as it is inappropriate in our community.

‘The John Muir Trust have just produced a report based on actual output figures from 47 wind farms which  over 395 days produced not the 30% the developers claim  but in fact only 22% of their capacity. The Loch Hill wind farm would have eleven turbines, each 300’ (100m) high on a hill farm next to Lochinvar which only recently was controversially given permission for forestry  despite all the local concern about its impact on the landscape and ecology. 

‘ In his poem Marmion Sir Walter Scott says:

Who lists may in their mumming see

Traces of ancient mystery

White shirts supply the masquerade

And smutted cheeks the visors made.

‘The GLARE  Guisers want no truck with wind giants in the Glenkens.’

The Declaration of Lochinvar

We, the undersigned, being residents, neighbours or otherwise friends of the area known as Lochinvar by St John's Town of Dalry in the Glenkens, Galloway:

• recognising its outstanding natural beauty and abundant wildlife including endangered species;
• cognisant of its prominent position in the landscape of the Glenkens and the area surrounding Loch Ken;
• having in mind the rich historic legacy of the Glenkens itself and notwithstanding the international recognition of the name Young Lochinvar and the Gordon family in the history of the Scottish people and the works of Sir Walter Scott;
• and fearing the economic consequences of loss of tourism as well as local amenity capital, especially now the area has been designated a Dark Sky Park - only the third in the world and the first in Europe
  

we call on the Government of the Scottish people to have due regard for the conservation of this area and protect it from inappropriate development as a site for an industrial wind power station.

Furthermore, we ask the Scottish Government to entreat with the Government of the United Kingdom, in these times of economic stringency, to end the use of public monies to encourage the development of inappropriately sited wind power stations.

LOCHINVAR OCTOBER 8TH 2010

UPDATE

In September 2010 it is now possible that this small area of the Glenkens could be industrialised by more than 100 turbines ,if all the proposals in the pipeline were to be accepted.

The most recent proposal comes from 2020 Renewables for originally 21 turbines, now believed to be 11 on the upland hill farm of Duchrae by Lochinvar (home of Young Lochinvar).

On Friday October 8 GLARE hosted displays, discussions and a new film by Nigel Spence in Dalry Town Hall - all day from 11.00am with a special preview and talk by Nigel Spence at 7.00pm See the trailer at:

http://www.conwiththewind.com

BLACKCRAIG HILL APPEAL STILL NOT DECIDED SEVEN YEARS ON!

Report sent to Minister Jim Mather MSP 9.4.10

Public Local inquiry CLOSED 21.12.09

A letter was sent by the Ministry of Defence [ download here ]in which they state "in the interest of air safety, we recommend that the perimeter / corner turbines and a selection of inner turbines are lit with 25 candela omni-directional red lighting at the highest practical point. Sufficient turbines should be lit to indiciate the size of the wind farm". Please send your comments to GLARE and the PLI reporter as detailed below.

Grid Connection
During the PLI, Scottish and Southern Electricty indicated that the existing S37 application which was unanimously rejected by councillors, no longer had the capacity to take electricty from Blackcraig. Scottish Power Transmissions have no produced a pre-consultation document which needs your response by 22 May 2009. You can download a template objection letter here and wiew full details at www.spenergynetworks.com
 
The Public Local Inquiry 
was held in February and March 2008 in the town hall of the St John's Town of Dalry.

The PLI was subsequently adjourned in order to facilitate discussions about aviation with NATS / NERL in relation to their objection to the proposed wind farm.

A second pre-inquiry meeting was held at the town hall of the St John's Town of Dalry on 22 April 2009 at which it was agreed to add the issue of lights to the agenda of the PLI

Resumed PLI
now fixed for 27-29 October 2009 from 9.30am to 4.30pm each day at the town hall of the St John's Town of Dalry. Any comments or submissions should be sent to:

Mr M Mahony
Reporter - DPEA
4 The Courtyard
Calendar Business Park
Falkirk FK1 1XR

MARGREE WIND FARM

North British Windpower have submitted a planning application to construct a wind power station at Margree on the edge of the Glenkens, just 2 miles north and within site of Blackcraig Hill. The proposal is for up to 25 turbines of approximately 125 metres (410 feet) from base to blade tip.

DARNGARROCH WIND FARM

Currently in 'Scoping' stage, this proposal is for a Section 26 wind power station (greater than 50 megawatts) on Darngarroch Hill, a 373 metre hill visible from Corsock and Dunscore. The exact proposal is yet unknown, however it would take a minimum of seventeen 125 metre (410 feet) turbines to produce the required electricty.

Benshinnie wind farm could bring £5.4million to local community
 
Green energy firm Burcote Wind has unveiled proposals for a wind farm near Parton, Kirkcudbrightshire, which could power the equivalent of 75% of all homes in Dumfries and Galloway and generate up to £5.4million for the local community.
 
The 24-turbine proposal at Benshinnie benefits from high average wind speeds of 9 metres per second and is distant from major settlements.
 
The wind farm, with an installed capacity of 72 megawatts (MW) would produce enough electricity to power around 53,000 homes. It would offset around 107,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year, reducing Dumfries and Galloway’s carbon footprint.
 
Burcote Wind has said that, as part of its proposals, it would create a community benefit fund worth up to £216,000 per year, or £5.4million over the 25-year lifetime of the wind farm.
 
This could provide funds for local organisations and initiatives in close proximity to the wind farm and a distribution mechanism would be agreed with local representative groups.
 
Burcote Wind chairman Graham Brown said:
 
“Our proposal at Benshinnie has the potential to power the equivalent of three quarters of all the homes in Dumfries and Galloway and make a significant contribution to Scotland’s ambitious national target to produce 100% of its electricity from renewables by 2020.
 
“But we’re very clear that we want the local community to see tangible benefits from having a wind farm in their area, which is why we’re proposing a community benefit fund worth around £5.4million over the lifetime of the wind farm.
 
“The Benshinnie site benefits from being distant from major settlements and, thanks to the topography of the site, would be obscured from many local viewpoints.
 
“We know that wind farm developments can be a sensitive issue, which is why we’re starting our dialogue with the local community now – well in advance of any planning application.
 
“This will include holding a number of community engagement events over the coming months, as well as setting up a liaison forum with local groups.
 
“We’re also conscious of the importance of tourism in the Glenkens, which is why we’ll be extending our consultation activities to include the views of tourists. We want to gather information from tourists themselves to get some real insight into what they think of our proposal.”
 
 
Notes to Editors
 
1.       The proposed community benefit fund is equivalent to an annual payment of £3,000 per Megawatt (MW) of installed generating capacity. This would produce an annual ‘royalty’ to the community of up to £216,000 (based on the output of 24 turbines of 72MW), or £5.4million over the 25 year lifespan of the development. The exact vehicle for delivering this resource to local community projects will be determined in close consultation with community representatives.
 
2.       As part of the future planning application, Burcote Wind will need to compile a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to identify the potential impact of building the wind farm on the local environment, ecology and plant and animal life. The EIA must demonstrate that the benefits of developing the site clearly outweigh any potentially negative impacts. In addition, Burcote Wind will have to demonstrate how the site can be physically and ecologically restored following the 25 year lifespan of the wind farm. A planning application will not be submitted until the summer of 2012 at the earliest.
 
3.       Burcote Wind is an independent renewable energy company based in Dunfermline, Scotland, but active throughout the UK. The company specialises in onshore wind energy projects from the identification and design stage right through to construction and operation.

£900,000 VINDICATES GLARE DEMAND FOR REVIEW OF BLACKCRAIG WINDFARM DECISION

On 5 April  six Scottish wind farms were paid £900,000 to switch off for  just one night. This fact alone, Glare believes, vindicates their call for another look at the decision of the last Scottish Government to allow 23x365’ high wind turbines along the ridge of hills known as Blackcraig.

The  Blackcraig decision itself bears all the hallmarks of being rushed out in the final hours of the minority SNP’s term in office. But the subsidy figures released in the national news media on 1 May totalling £900,000 for NOT producing electricity brings into sharp focus  the madness of Scotland’s current dash for wind at any price even in tourist destination places as spectacular and unique in the richness of their natural and cultural heritage as the Glenkens.

On a visit to Loch Ken Robert Burns wrote his stirring ‘Scots Wha Hae’ which has fired the blood of many with patriotic zeal to defend their homeland.  He also commented when on the Balmaclellan side of the loch ‘This place would make a blockhead into a poet.’

Only blockheads would hand out  twenty times more money for electricity not to be generated on one of the few occasions when the wind happened to be up to the right kind of speed. It is a scandal that six Scottish windfarms, local Hadyard Hill among them, were paid both for the electricity they would have sold and the subsidies they get on top of that.

Glare is confident that people of good sense will support their call for the Blackcraig decision to be reversed.

Click on map to view
proposed sites in the Glenkens



Click on picture above
to download GLARE's
Blackcraig Campaign Action Pack



Click on map to find out more
about proposals in Scotland

GLARE Newsletter (Autumn 2006)

VOS News (April 2005) - independent coverage of latest news & events in Scotland

VOS News (March 2005) - independent coverage of latest news & events in Scotland

Gazetter of wind power in Scotland (independent report published January 2005 by the Scottish Wind Assessment Project)

Renewable Energy in Scotland (independent report provided for the Scottish Parliament in late 2004)

Wind Watch

Renewable Energy Foundation

SWAP (Scottish Wind
Assessment Project)

Carlyle Craigenputtock Circle

VOS (Views of Scotland)

Country Guardian

Cefn Croes

Artists Against Wind Farms