Wind farm fight boost

By Graham Brown

THE FIGHTING fund to mount a case against a planned Angus wind farm has received a significant boost on the eve of a public inquiry into the proposal.

Tomorrow will see the start of what is expected to be an eight-day hearing into Novera Energy’s bid to site three 105 metre turbines at Mountboy on Rossie Moor, near Montrose.

The controversial scheme is being opposed by campaign group STORM (Stop Turbines On Rossie Moor), who raised almost £7000 at a Saturday night auction on Montrose.

STORM received generous support for the fund-raiser, with star lots including an original oil painting by renowned local artist James Morrison, framed prints by wild-life photographer Niall Benvie and trips both home and abroad.

Ian Taylor of the town’s auction rooms used all his expertise to tease the four-figure total from guests at the event, and STORM officials said the money would play a vital part in helping them present the strongest possible case this week.

The group has enlisted legal counsel for the inquiry and will also be presenting expert evidence to the hearing, scheduled to get under way at the Links Hotel tomorrow morning.

The inquiry has been prompted by Angus councillors’ decision that wind farm applications at an advanced stage in the planning process should not be considered separately and the determination of any application outwith the context of other wind farm applications would be premature.

That earlier decision prompted Novera Energy to submit an appeal to the Scottish Government on the basis of the authority’s non-determination of its application, which had been submitted early in 2007.

STORM has organised events to raise funds and awareness of both its fight and opposition to another wind farm proposal for Montreathmont Moor, near Brechin, led by the Friends Of The Forest group.

But the Mountboy proposal has garnered support from bodies including the Montrose Chamber of Commerce, which has registered its backing for renewable energy projects subject to certain criteria.