CAMPAIGNERS are warning that the Stirlingshire countryside could be turned into a “giant forest of wind turbines”.
The warning comes after npower renewables – who want to build a windfarm of nine turbines each more than 400 feet tall on Ballindalloch Muir – refused to rule out even more turbines being erected on the site.

The Endrick Valley Action Group (EVAG) – which is campaigning against the Ballindalloch windfarm - has also revealed that there are proposals for two other energy companies to build windfarms in the same area.

The action group say that npower’s proposed windfarm is too close to Balfron and only 1.3 miles from two schools and a nursery in the village; would have a negative visual impact on the scenery of the Stirlingshire countryside and points to medical experts’ fears that low-frequency noise from wind turbines can cause headaches and other ailments.

Members of EVAG attended a series of exhibitions staged by npower to promote their Ballindalloch windfarm plan held in Fintry, Buchlyvie and Balfron last week. The campaigners questioned npower executives and asked if they would guarantee there wouldn’t be further wind turbines built on Ballindalloch Muir.

The company’s project manager Davin Aiken told them: “The planning application will cover nine turbines. Any further turbines there would require a separate planning application.”
But when quizzed further and asked if npower would guarantee there wouldn’t be further planning applications to build even more wind turbines on Ballindalloch Muir, npower’s regional development manager, Frank Park admitted:

“No one can guarantee that. The reason we cannot guarantee it is that you don’t know what will happen ten or 15 years in the future.
“At present npower have no plans to extend that site any bigger than nine turbines - although we cannot guarantee it. I don’t think any developer would guarantee that they would never do it.”

A spokesperson for EVAG said afterwards: “If Stirling Council allow the Ballindalloch windfarm to go ahead it looks like it could be the thin end of the wedge and even more wind turbines would be built to spoil our countryside.
“The Stirlingshire countryside could end up a giant forest of wind turbines and that would do our tourism industry a great deal of harm.

“We already have these windfarms – or industrial wind generated electricity factories, as they should be better known - on our countryside at Braes of Doune and Earlsburn. Now we have a planning application about to be lodged for Ballindalloch and according to the Gazetteer of Wind Power in Scotland proposals by energy companies West Coast Energy to build a windfarm at Buchlyvie Muir and Wind Prospect to build another at Kippen Muir.”

EVAG staged an alternative exhibition in the same building as npower’s in Balfron, on Saturday outlining why people should object to the Ballindalloch windfarm proposal.

The EVAG spokesperson said: “We had almost 200 people come to our exhibition to see exactly what the detrimental effect this windfarm would have on our community. The vast majority of people agreed with us that the windfarm is far too close to the areas of population like Balfron.”
Ends

Caption – EVAG secretary, Mary Young hands out leaflets outside the alternative exhibition the campaign group held in the McClintock Hall, Balfron, on Saturday.