A planning application has been lodged for a new solar farm near Coupar Angus.
Greentech has launched a bid to build Peattie Solar Farm at Campmuir, between Kettins and Burrelton.
The proposed site covers 113 acres of farmland, raising concerns among many residents, including Major General Mike Riddell-Webster.
He told The Courier: “The reason these things are all happening near us is because they can get to a substation and a connection to the grid.
“There is no policy in Perth and Kinross that looks at the aggregate effect of a raft of these things all happening in the same area.
“Around the Coupar Angus substation, one application for a solar farm has been consented, and another three are in various stages of planning.
“For the residents of Campmuir, if these proposals are consented, they will be living in the middle of the 350 acres of solar panels.
“That’s the main concern – alongside the use of prime agricultural land.”
‘People are going to get surrounded by these things,’ says Riddell-Webster
General Riddell-Webster argued that renewable energy companies could build on hills but choose lower farmland for convenience and cost.
“People are going to get surrounded by these things,” he warned.
“From a farmer’s perspective, I completely understand. They’re getting £800 to £1,000 per acre, per year, risk-free – without having to farm the land at all.
“From a local’s perspective, these structures stand nine feet off the ground, surrounded by a six-foot fence.
“We’re going to be surrounded by what looks like prison camps.
Visual impact is another key concern, he added.
“Both developments sit on wide-open land, so there’s no natural way of hiding them.
“In the Peattie proposal, the application states the ground rises 25 metres.
“If you’re sitting behind a desk, 25 metres doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you’re looking at the ground that rises, I doubt even trees would be able to screen it.
“You pass a lot of solar farms on the train down to London – most of which are surrounded by hedges and are much flatter, nothing like as intrusive.
“Probably because they’re further south.
“When you get up to our part of the world, they’re having to be tipped up to catch the sun.”
Several solar farm applications in Perthshire
Perth and Kinross Council declared a climate emergency in 2019, publishing an action plan to achieve Net Zero by 2045.
Since then, Greentech has submitted multiple bids for solar farms across Perthshire.
Earlier this month, the Germany-based renewable company submitted a proposal to build a “town-sized” solar farm near Alyth.
Two public consultations will take place before a decision is made.
In 2023, Markethill Solar Farm – a 250-acre project between Coupar Angus and Burrelton – was controversially rejected after causing “real anger” in the community.
The developer has appealed the decision, and the case is now with the Scottish Government for review.
General Riddell-Webster claims Peattie Solar Farm’s panels would only produce 11% of their installed capacity.
“That’s why Scottish solar farms need to be so big – to generate as much power as possible,” he said.
Greentech has not yet responded to our request for comment.
However, a statement on its website about the Peattie proposal reads: “We went through several iterations of the design of the project, including taking into account feedback from nearby residents regarding increased setback from households and increased natural screening.
“The exhibition events held in September and October 2024 helped inform the design of the proposal.”
Conversation