Arbroath residents have had their first chance to view a 50MW solar project planned for farmland west of the town.
It is one of two controversial green schemes which have been showcased to the public this week.
On Wednesday, Hospitalfield in Arbroath hosted a consultation for the Bonnyknox solar farm bid.
It is in the early stages of the planning process following a proposal of application to Angus Council.
A second scheme, with around a quarter of the solar capacity, is at a more advanced stage.
That is at Denfield Farm and has already drawn dozens of objections. A consultation event took place on Tuesday.
The planning bids are independent, but campaigners say cumulative impact must be taken into consideration.
15,000-home power capacity of 49.9MW Bonnyknox project
RES – the world’s largest renewable energy company – is behind the Bonnyknox scheme.
It would be built on land at Fallaws Farm, Arbirlot and generate enough energy to power 15,000 homes annually.
The site sits around five miles west of Arbroath.
And it is a couple of miles north of Salmond’s Muir on the Dundee to Arbroath dual carriageway.
RES say the location has been chosen because it has no ecological restraints, straightforward access and a viable grid connection.
If approved it would link to a substation at Arbroath.
The company will gather initial feedback until July 12.
It then plans another round of public consultation in late summer before any detailed application is lodged with Angus Council.
Other solar bid near Royal Marines base
The other scheme is for a smaller 12.5MW solar array and 7MW of battery storage at Denfield Farm near the edge of the town.
It sits west of 45 Commando’s RM Condor base.
Local farmer Peter Stirling is behind the proposal, which was also the subject of a consultation event earlier this week.
The application was first submitted in September 2023. It is yet to be determined by Angus Council.
However, there have been dozens of objections to the Denfield proposal.
And Arbroath Community Council has criticised council planners for their handling of the application.
It said it had been given only a couple of weeks to make a formal response on the application – the second time it has happened recently.
“By providing only 14 days notice we are once again prevented from answering an issue which, given the number of objections, is clearly concerning the community,” it said.
30MW Forfar scheme rejected
The Arbroath events follow Angus Council’s recent knockback for a 30MW solar plan east of Forfar.
Concrete block manufacturer Laird Bros hoped to power its town operation with renewable energy from the Cotton of Lownie development.
But earlier this month, planning councillors rejected the application.
They said there were too many factors against the plan.
Officials recommended the scheme for refusal because of the “significant harm” it would cause to the local landscape.
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