'It's a big deal': Rogart residents urged to attend Acheilidh Wind Farm information session

The chairman of Rogart Community Council is urging local people to attend a drop-in information session to be held next week by the developers of the planned Acheilidh Wind Farm.

Frank Roach said the wind farm was a “big deal” for the parish and would have a bigger impact on local households than others in the area including the existing Gordonbush Wind Farm, its extension, and Kilbraur Wind Farm.

Energiekontor UK is seeking planning consent for the 20-turbine, Acheilidh Wind Farm – formerly called Lairg III.

Turbines of up to 230m in height are proposed and the site would have a generating capacity of 132mw, requiring consent to be granted by the Scottish Government with the local authority a statutory consultee.

According to papers lodged on the Energy Consent Unit’s online portal, the site earmarked is 1,856 hectares of open moorland some 7.6km south-east of Lairg and 1150m south west of Tigh an Alt, Acheilidh, Rogart.

The wind farm came up for discussion at a meeting of Rogart Community Council last night.

Mr Roach said: “We need to find out the views of the majority of the community in order to establish what our (the community council) view on it is. We have objected to other developments that are not in our parish because of the transport impact on us but this is different - this is really on our patch and very local to a number of people.”

Members agreed to run a survey via the local newsletter which is hand delivered to ever household. The completed survey could then be deposited in a box set up for the purpose at Rogart PO Stores.

Energiekontor’s appliction is at the scoping stage and a planning application is not expected to be lodged before March. The firm is running the drop-in session at Pittentrail Hall on Thursday, January 19 from 2pm-7pm.

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