A change to the Marnoch landscape is being proposed
How do you like it?
(Picture shows skyline seen to the West as you leave Foggie on the A97 towards Huntly - or on the Cornhill road)
A planning application for three large wind-turbines (each one 80 metres = 260 feet high) has been received by the Banff and Buchan planning office (ref APP/2010/2712). The turbines would be erected at Mossford Farm, lying between the Moss of Crombie and the Catstone Hill. The turbines are so huge that even their hubs would tower over the Catstone by about 85 feet (height of hubs above sea-level 230+56=286 metres; height of Catstone = 260 metres). They would therefore be easily visible, indeed prominent over almost all of the Marnoch area. In particular they would loom large over Marnoch Old Church (and the Cemetery) at a distance of less than 1½ miles.
People come from miles around to enjoy the unspoilt scenery of the Deveron Valley. The landscape is homely and made on quite a small scale. Is this a good place to erect industrial-scale wind-turbines - or could better places be found?
How do you like it?
If you don’t like it
• tell your friends and neighbours about it, and anyone you know who loves the Marnoch and/or Deveron Valley area
• keep an eye on progress of the application on the Aberdeenshire Council website, Banff and Buchan Area:
http://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/planning/apps/detail.asp?ref_no=APP/2010/2712
• once the application has been validated, write letters to the planning officer in charge of this case, who is Louise Byrne, Banff and Buchan Area Planning Office, Town House, Low Street, Banff, AB45 1AY (Tel 01261 813200, email bb.planapps@aberdeenshire.gov.uk). You will only have 21 days to do this, from the date the planning application is validated. (The only way to find out whether this has happened is to telephone the planning office.) Update: the closing date for e-mailed comments is Thursday 30th September; Monday the 27th for old-fashioned letters.
• contact your local county councillors (contact details here: http://www.banffshire-journal.co.uk/news/categoryfront.php/id/176/Aberdeenshire_Council.html)
• tell people about this blog: nototurbinesovermarnoch.blogspot.com
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