Angus planners have refused permission for a 45-metre-to-tip wind turbine between Forfar and Dundee.
The SolarVentus bid for land 300 metres north of North Tarbrax Farm was blocked under delegated powers after officials decided it would breach a string of policies.
The application for the single three-blade, 250kW turbine related to a site around 150 metres west of the Aberdeen to Dundee dual carriageway and close to an operational turbine of the same height.
In a supporting statement the applicant said the planned turbine would help to offset the challenges being faced by the dairy farm on which it would be located.
“The proposed turbine will allow the farmer to offset the high energy usage of the dairy by generating electricity on his land and provide an important source of income to help maintain the business as a working farm, thereby providing a means of diversification which will help the farm’s financial viability,” the applicant said.
“Dairy farms have seen a substantial and continuing drop in farm gate prices. It is therefore vital that the farm has additional secure forms of income to allow the traditional use of the land to continue and keep employment in the locality.”
The refusal stated: “The area in which the turbine is proposed contains a high concentration of operational and approved turbines of varying scales and designs and further turbine development in this area would be inconsistent with guidance…in terms of separation distances, turbine numbers and the level of change to the underlying landscape character.”