A north-east councillor’s controversial bid to install a wind turbine on his land, near holiday homes, has been approved by his colleagues.
SNP councillor Sandy Duncan has secured planning permission from Banff and Buchan area committee to progress with his plans to construct a 150ft wind turbine on farmland at Forglen.
The decision was taken, despite objections by locals who claimed the project would damage the landscape.
And Aberdeenshire Council’s own planners had even earmarked the turbine for refusal.
However, the committee’s SNP members voted to approve the scheme.
They were joined by independent Hamish Partridge, whose vote broke a deadlock between the group and Conservatives Michael Roy and Mark Findlater, who were supported by Fraserburgh independents Ian Tait and Michael Watt in backing the planning service.
Ross Cassie, who launched the amendment to push through the scheme, argued that there were already turbines in the area. And he insisted: “Anything that will be built will be seen from somewhere.
Mr Roy replied: “There are, by my calculations, 24 operational or consented wind turbines within five kilometres of this site. It will be dominant and out of scale.
“There were 42 representations of objection from people who live within close proximity to the turbine.”
Mr Findlater added: “This is a beautiful area, and I fully endorse the planners.”
Following the committee meeting yesterday, Messrs Roy and Findlater attempted to have standing orders suspended to have the matter sent to a meeting of the full council for discussion.
But they were told that any attempt to defer a matter to full council had to be done during deliberations on the item.
Mr Duncan’s turbine was originally approved last year, but was the subject of a legal challenge at the Court of Session.
It meant the local authority had to run his application through the planning process again.
