Planning decisions on Highland wind farm applications

At today’s (Tuesday 20 December) meeting of the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey Planning Applications Committee members have ruled on two major wind farm applications.

An application made by Carbon Free Moy Limited for a 20 turbine wind farm on land to the North East of Moy and Tomatin was considered.  Also associated with this application was an application for a landscape bund adjacent to the A9 trunk road.  Members unanimously agreed with the officer recommendation that the wind farm application conflicts with the Council’s Draft Supplementary Guidance for Onshore Wind Energy and should be refused. The bund application offered as mitigation to screen the wind farm from travellers was not supported and was also refused.

The second application before the Committee today was for a 31 turbine wind farm on land at Dunachton, Alvie and Dalraddy Estates to the North West of Kincraig.  This development, know as Allt Duine, was lodged by RWE Npower Renewables Limited. Chairman of the Committee, Provost Jimmy Gray, moved at the start of the debate to defer making a decision until Members have had the opportunity to go on a site visit.  This proposed deferral was unanimously agreed and officers will now seek an agreement with the applicant for an extension of time so a site visit can be arranged early next year.