An appeal lodged against Angus Council’s decision to refuse a scaled-down wind project at Finavon Hill has been successful.
The turbine, which is to be located on land around 5km north east of Forfar on the Finavon Hill Estate, was refused by Angus Council on March 11 using delegated powers.
However, Angus Council’s Development Management Review Committee has now overturned the decision and approved the appeal lodged by the owners of the Finavon Estate.
Councillor David Lumgair, citing positive comparisons in visual impact to other local projects, cast the deciding vote in favour of the appeal.
Jeffrey Sanderson, the owner of the Finavon Estate and agents Kilmac Energy, submitted the application for a single 67m turbine with a generating capacity of 500KW in September last year.
Kilmac Energy previously took an application for three turbines in the same area to the Scottish Government following non-determination by Angus Council in 2012, but this was refused.
The estate, owned by Mr Sanderson since 1993, has undergone significant financial and management investment in recent years, with the building of seven houses and the development of a shooting business running alongside the existing farming activity.
There are also consented plans to develop a sporting lodge to meet the requirements of the expanding sporting business activities on the estate.
He previously said that the turbine would be able to significantly offset the estate’s costs and allow further investment in the business.
Speaking after the successful appeal, Mr Sanderson said: “We welcome the committee’s decision to grant our appeal and we would like to thank councillors for their support and recognising the considerable benefit that this scheme will generate for both the local community and economy.
“This decision will secure the future of the Estate and allow us to invest further in both farming and the variety of commercial activities we have developed on site in recent years, creating additional local employment and contributing further to the local economy.
“We are looking forward to implementing these plans and hope that all those in the local community can share in a sustainable and prosperous future for Finavon.”