More than 1,100 people have signed a petition calling for plans to build huge wind turbines twice the height of Big Ben in Royal Deeside to be axed amid fears they’ll spoil the Aberdeenshire countryside.
The UK’s tallest on-shore wind farm would be constructed on land at Hill of Fare, with applications detailing how the 16 massive turbines would measure up to 656ft tall.
The Hill of Fare Wind Farm Information Group launched the petition to urge Dunecht Estates to withdraw its application for the wind farm near Banchory.
A row broke out over how much money the organisation will give to locals, with wind farm developers legally obliged to offer benefits to those affected by the construction.
It was claimed that Dunecht Estates would make between £1million and £2.5million annually from the development and developer RES making up to £25million a year, while only offering a possible annual community benefit of just £528,000, writes the Scottish Daily Express.
There has been significant local opposition to the plans as well, with Aberdeenshire Council already opposing them.
The Scottish Government will get the final say after a public inquiry but is likely to accept them as it looks to build up renewable energy capacity across the country.
Concerns have been raised about how damaging the turbines will be to the beauty of Royal Deeside amid further plans for a new ‘mega-pylon’ route through the area from Kintore to Tealing.
Aberdeenshire Council objected to the plans due to concerns over the region’s red kite population as well as the impact on historic sites nearby such as Sunhoney and Christchurch stone circles.
Aberdeen International Airport also raised objections due to the “impacts upon radar”, while community leaders have described the development as “something from a sci-fi horror movie.”
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Scottish Tory MSP Alexander Burnett, who represents Aberdeenshire West, has been campaigning against the development, and called on the developer to listen to local concerns.
He said: “This petition highlights the strength of anger and concern towards this application, which if approved, would fire the starting gun on the industrialisation of Royal Deeside.
“In little over two weeks, more than 1,100 people have signed the petition, underlining the huge threat that this development poses to the community.
“Having met with communities now dominated by wind farms, I’ve heard first-hand how their lives have been impacted on an industrial scale and I’m hugely concerned that this development will have a similar impact on nearby residents.
“I strongly urge residents to back this petition to send a strong message that these proposals are not welcome in Royal Deeside.”
RES Renewables project manager Gavin Shirley said: “This project has been carefully designed and sensitively sited in an area identified by the council as having ‘potential for wind farm development’. If consented, it would maximise economic benefit to Aberdeenshire.
“We have undertaken extensive consultation with the community and key consultees all of which has helped us develop a sensitive design which minimises impacts and maximises benefits.”