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South West Fife Area Committee approved the planning application to erect a 50m high high wind monitoring mast near Saline at its meeting last Friday. When introducing the debate, Cllr Alice McGarry, Committee Convener, said: "I would remind Committee members that we are considering here a planning application to erect a wind monitoring mast only. We must consider this application on its own merits according to the planning regulations that we are obliged to follow. There is no question of approving, or otherwise, a possible windfarm proposal. That would have to be applied for later and considered on its own merits according to planning regulations". After debate, the recommendation from Fife Council officers to approve the application was carried. West Fife and Coastal Villages SNP Councillor William Walker commented afterwards: "This application was for the erection of a static wind monitoring tower from ABO Wind UK Ltd to test the suitability of the site for the possible building of a seven turbine windfarm. There is no automatic connection whatsoever between this application and a possible later one for a windfarm which would have to be considered quite separately. Had this application been for an actual windfarm, I believe that the result would have been quite different. He further explained, "Had we turned down ABO's current application, the company would undoubtedly have appealed to the Government Reporter, where I am 99% confident that ABO would have won on legal planning grounds. What would have been worse would be that Fife Council taxpapers would have had to pay the tens of thousands of pounds of appeal costs, as the Committee had gone against the recommendation of Council officials to approve. Overall, it was far better to let ABO get on with their measurements and then let them make any windfarm application under completely different conditions. Cllr Walker continued: "I think we had little option but to accept the wind monitoring mast application wih conditions as submitted. All work must be completed within five years of today's with all equipment removed and the site fully re-instated. ABO's own plans for the operation must be adhered to and, as it is temporary, I can see no valid plannning reason to refuse the application. Cllr Walker concluded: "Depending of the results of their measurements, ABO may well make a future application for a windfarm and the site. However, a whole new set of environmental and planning regulations will have to be taken into account at that time". |
