25th June 2007

Burnfoot wind farm gains consent

Clackmannanshire Council, 'the wee county' is a Scottish local authority which has given consent to a 13-turbine wind farm that will generate equivalent power for 70% of the homes in its district. The planning application for Burnfoot Hill wind farm, which will generate electricity for about 15,000 homes, was approved at a special meeting of the Council's Regulatory Committee on 28th March.

Sarah Dooley, Wind Prospect's Development Manager, said "Clackmannanshire has demonstrated its commitment to meeting renewable energy targets both in their local area and throughout Scotland." Wind Prospect's Edinburgh office identified the site in the uplands of the Western Ochils as the only good site for a medium-sized wind farm in Clackmannanshire.

Although in an Area of Great Landscape Value, extensive visibility analysis showed that the Burnfoot Hill wind farm will not be seen from local settlements to the South such as Stirling and Dunblane, nor from four key viewpoints; Stirling Castle, The Wallace Monument, Sherrifmuir Battlefield and the Bannockburn Battlefield. In fact, views of the wind farm within 5km are completely contained within the Ochils; the only resident that can see the turbines is the landowner.

The Ochil hills in Central Scotland are very accessible to hill walkers; millions of people live within a modest car journey, but how many actually visit each year? No one actually knew, so to support its Environmental Statement, Wind Prospect undertook what is thought to be the UK's 1st survey into recreational footfall around a wind farm, to establish the facts.

Consultants Access monitoring placed monitors under three footpaths to count the number of hill walkers. From this data they calculated that walkers made 20,000 trips per year up Ben Cleuch, the highest hill. Dooley said "we found the recreational survey really worthwhile, as did the Council.

Throughout its life, the wind farm will bring a major benefit to walkers, in the form of a Recreational Enhancement Fund. This fund will provide £65,000 every year to help improve access to the Western Ochils and promote hill walking."

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