Inquiry to be held after new wind farm bid at beauty spot is rejected

Published on Friday 11 September 2009 10:08

A PUBLIC inquiry is set to be held over the decision to refuse permission for a controversial wind farm in Penicuik.

The proposed Auchencorth Moss wind farm received 2,400 objections, including one from TV botanist David Bellamy.

Eon UK Renewables Ltd submitted the plans, to build 18 wind turbines with a maximum height of 102 metres at the beauty spot, which were rejected by Midlothian Council in February last year.

The firm lodged an appeal to the Scottish Government, but it also submitted a second, smaller application to Midlothian Council for 14 turbines of a different design.

The revised plans also proposed a new layout for the turbines, a revised internal road layout and a reduction of the number of access points from the public road from two to one.

Eon even submitted a three-volume environmental statement to address concerns of environmentalists like Mr Bellamy, who regarded the wind farm as "vandalism" and potentially damaging to the specialist fauna and flora in the bog.

However, Midlothian director of strategic services Ian Young criticised the revised plan, saying that the dimensions of the new turbines were "almost identical" to the ones already thrown out.

He also said that the reduced number of turbines did little to address the principle concerns of objectors – that the turbines would ruin the landscape around the picturesque Auchencorth Moss.

Midlothian Council's planning committee accepted Mr Young's recommendations and rejected the revised proposals on Tuesday, and instructed Mr Young to prepare the council's case for the forthcoming public inquiry.

It will go before the Scottish Government's directorate of planning and environmental appeals in January.

While Eon had originally appealed against Midlothian's decision to reject 18 turbines at Auchencorth, an Eon spokeswoman confirmed that the Scottish Government reporter will now be asked to rule on the revised application which, the company says, "reflects the opinions and concerns they had already received from the local community".

The spokeswoman added: "We have made substantial revisions to the plans, which took into account the concerns of local people who, after all, know more about the local area than we do.

"The revised plan for 14 turbines was specifically drawn with local concerns in mind and we think we have addressed all of the concerns, but Midlothian Council still disagree.

"We will now press on with the appeal because we don't see any reason why Midlothian Council should continue to refuse it."