BATTLE FOR THE BONNIE BANKS OF LOCH LOMOND
27th July 2011 Press Release
The Endrick Valley Action Group (
EVAG), which campaigned successfully against energy giant npower’s application for wind turbines at Ballindalloch Muir, has been re-formed.
Mary Young, spokesperson for
EVAG, said: ‘The landscape of West Stirlingshire is again under threat, from the Carse to Loch Lomond itself. Impact on the tourist industry, one of the major drivers of the local and Scottish economy, would be huge, with the loss of many small businesses and jobs.’
Banks Renewables have submitted an application for a 60m wind monitoring mast and a Scoping Report to Stirling Council for up to twenty 328 ft (100m) turbines at Craigievern (Ard-Ghaoth), North East of Drymen and adjacent to the Trossachs & Loch Lomond National Park.
In addition, applications for fourteen wind turbines along the Carse and its environs have been submitted to the Council. These have primarily been lodged by ILI (Renewable Energy) and are mainly for turbines of 250 ft (76m).
The
EVAG spokesperson said: ‘The turbines proposed at Craigievern (Ard-Ghaoth) are the same height as those at the Braes of Doune – higher than the Statue of Liberty. Those along the Carse would be taller than the Wallace Monument.
‘Visual impact, individually and cumulatively with wind farms already in existence, would be tremendous. It is inconceivable that tourists would have to drive through a wind farm corridor to get to Loch Lomond. And when they reach it, to take in the peace, tranquillity and beauty of an area which is renowned the world over, they would find that it, too, had been ruined. Visitors want to see the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond, not the turbines of Banks.’
‘People seem to have come away from the Banks’ exhibition in Drymen with the belief that the proposal is a ‘done deal’, that it would be happening within weeks and that Stirling Council had purposefully delineated the area as capable of supporting a wind farm.
EVAG is informing everybody of the lengthy processes which have to be undergone, and that Stirling Council’s Policy & Guidance makes it quite clear that the capacity to accommodate additional large turbines is considered to be severely limited.
‘The
EVAG team has been heartened by the support it has received, even in these early days, but it is conscious that many people who would be visually impacted upon are not aware of the proposal or the applications in place. If anyone requires further information, or can offer help with the campaign, we would ask them to contact
EVAG at support@evag.co.uk, to visit the website which is under construction,
www.evag.co.uk, or to ring 01360 661451.’