By Alan Richardson

PROTESTERS WERE celebrating yesterday after local planners pledged to object to a pair of controversial windfarms in Highland Perthshire.

The development control committee are likely to have triggered public inquiries into the proposed Calliacher and Griffin schemes by voting to oppose them.

Because each will generate over 50MW of power, they will be determined by the Scottish Executive rather than the council but the local authority has a large part to play in the decision- making process.

Yesterday’s events proved a great relief to local residents in the Strathbraan area after planning officials had recommended the councillors accept the larger of the two developments, GreenPower’s 68-turbine Griffin plan.

In the event, they went against the advice, leaving more than 100 objectors who had packed Dewar’s Centre for the meeting, elated.

Gill Wilson, of the Amulree and Strathbraan Windfarm Action Group (ASWAG), fought back tears as she said how delighted she was that the council had backed their stance.

She said, “The right to defend our landscapes and our lives cannot be denied and these public inquiries will allow us to do so.

“We will have a full airing of everything that hasn’t yet come out about this issue which is what we have wanted from the start and we’re absolutely delighted.”

A succession of protesters set out their opposition to the windfarms during the meeting, focusing especially on the potential effects on tourism, jobs and the economy, local water supplies and access to and from the sites along the A9 and narrow rural roads.

Unsurprisingly, the effect of the large-scale windfarms on the environment also featured prominently in the pleas for rejection, with one claiming the largely unspoilt terrain would become an “industrial wasteland.”

Their complaints had been rebutted by GreenPower and Perth-based I&H Brown, who are behind the 27-turbine Calliacher plan, but it was not enough for the committee members who have still failed to back a single Perthshire windfarm.

Even claims by the companies of over 100 jobs being created, over £40 million being pumped into the local economy and business boom for local firms failed to sway them.

Committee convener Councillor Bob Lumsden said, “The application does not comply with the provisions of the government guidance and the development plan, particularly the unacceptable impact on the roads, unacceptable visual intrusion and concerns over the impact on tourism and local water supplies.”

At the suggestion of Councillor Mike Barnacle, the impact in the landscape was added to the list of objections.

Councillor Colin Young added, “We need to acknowledge very publicly there are no major consultees objecting to either application.”

The final decisions on each application remain with the Executive and it will be up to central government officials whether inquiries will take place.

Rob Forrest, managing director of Alloa-based GreenPower said the company are “disappointed” after two years of work but said he was confident all major objections had been addressed.

He said, “If approved, Griffin Wind Farm would generate up to 204 megawatts at peak capacity and on average enough to power up to 176,000 homes.

“The project would reduce carbon emissions by as much as 560,000 tonnes per year.

“Griffin Wind Farm would make up to 2% of the UK’s renewables obligation target of reducing carbon emissions by 10% by 2010, and between 17% and 20% of Scotland’s renewable energy target for 2010-2011.”

Local MSP John Swinney said, “Major questions were left unanswered by these applications and the council has obviously considered carefully all of the issues at stake, such as transport, visual impact and water supplies.

“Crucially the council has listened carefully to the views and concerns of local people.

“I appeal now to Scottish Ministers to respect the democratic decisions that have been taken by Perth and Kinross Council and reject these applications.

“Such a move would be consistent with the important principle of local democratic choice.

“Into the bargain it would be wrong of ministers to approve such applications when there is such concern over the lack of an effective national planning framework for dealing with wind farms.

“I will be pressing ministers to respect the decision of the council.”

But the committee’s consistent refusal to back applications brought criticism from local Green MSP Mark Ruskell.

He said, “The Griffin forest proposal represented a real opportunity for Pethshire to make a significant contribution to national renewable energy targets, which could have taken the pressure off other other much more sensitive sites within the county.

“With this blanket opposition to every wind farm proposal put before them councillors are rubbishing their own locational strategy for wind farms.