OPPOSITION is growing to a controversial windfarm being built on the Stirlingshire countryside.

Two community councils – Balfron and Drymen – have said they are against npower renewable’s plan to build nine 406-feet high wind turbines on Ballindalloch Muir - less than a mile-and-a-half from schools and homes in the village of Balfron.

On Monday night, Stirling MSP Bruce Crawford and Forth and Endrick Councillor Graham Lambie heard of the community’s growing concerns about the proposed windfarm when they met with members of Balfron Community Council and the Endrick Valley Action Group (EVAG), who are campaigning against the wind turbines being built.

They were told by Balfron Community Council chairman, Mr Bill Astley-Jones that his community council had carried out a consultation exercise and they would be supporting objections to the windfarm.

Mr Crawford also heard from representatives of EVAG who told him that Drymen Community Council had written to them saying that, they too, were against the windfarm.

Chairman of EVAG, Gordon Adams, from Balfron said: “It was very good of the MSP and councillor to come along and listen to the genuine concerns of people living in this area who are going to be adversely affected by this windfarm if it is allowed to be built.

“Mr Crawford and Councillor Lambie were left in no doubt that the local community does not want this windfarm so close to our schools and homes. In fact, we have spent hours researching the internet and we cannot find another windfarm of this size in the world that would be so close to schools and a centre of population like Balfron.

”The fact that two local community councils are against the project shows the strength of feeling against the windfarm.”

Mr Adams added: “The politicians were told by people at the meeting that there was a great deal of concern about the misrepresentation of what the windfarm would actually look like. You can hardly see the wind turbines on the photomontages npower has produced – you need a magnifying glass to see them properly.

“Stirling Council has to be very careful to make sure they know exactly what this windfarm would look like if it was built and the negative visual impact it would have on the countryside before they even consider giving it the go-ahead.

“The windfarm at Braes of Doune is a perfect example of this. I don’t think anyone realised how these wind turbines would look once they were built compared to the planning drawings submitted to the council and just how much of a negative effect it has on our landscape.”

The EVAG chairman also told the politicians: “There are a lot of misconceptions going around about the supposed benefits of this proposed windfarm. I have even heard people say they will get free electricity from the windfarm if it is allowed to go ahead, which is of course, absolute nonsense.”
ends