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Ark Hill wind farm wins Pock Mark Award

April 10 2013

Ark Hill wind farm wins Pock Mark Award
An eight turbine wind farm at Ark Hill on the Sidlaws has been handed a Pock Mark Award for worst planning decision owing to its detrimental visual impact on a swathe of rural Angus.

The exposed site serves as habitat for a range of wildlife from deer and short eared owls to peregrine falcons and grouse and is a popular recreational ground for tourists and locals - leading to considerable local anger.

Carbuncle judge Mark Chalmers said: “I don't mind wind turbines, I don't even mind a few located in the hills, but Ark Hill is the wrong place for them.” 

Comparing Ark Hill unfavourably to another Pock Mark nomination, Dundee’s Michelin plant - the first of the tyre manufacturers plants to embrace wind power, Chalmers added: “They're a positive feature on the skyline telling you that industry is working here… just like chimneys or cranes used to be signifiers. 

“In fact, if you stand on Craigowl you can see both Michelin and Ark Hill.”
Critics fear the spread of wind farms across Scotland's rural landscape may have gone too far
Critics fear the spread of wind farms across Scotland's rural landscape may have gone too far
Some newly built turbines sit 700m from existing homes
Some newly built turbines sit 700m from existing homes

4 Comments

George
#1 Posted by George on 14 Apr 2013 at 13:47 PM
Nothing more than environmental devastation to line the pockets of rich landowners!
Tikken
#2 Posted by Tikken on 14 Apr 2013 at 16:21 PM
Turbines don’t supply us with usable, useful, cheap or green electricity. They increase our CO2 emissions. They do sweet f£%$ all to ween us off coal, say. For every one job created 3-4 are lost in the real economy. They batter tourism and birds. They rip up our CO2 storing peat bogs (holding more CO2 than rainforests). They are increasing fuel poverty. They are effecting the health of rural folk. Thus the fact turbines have got this far in Britain is a full blown scandal.

Lets focus on the Royal Academy of Engineering report – The Cost of Generating Electricity:

Typical generation costs =
5.4p/kWh wind 7.2p/kWh offshore wind 2.2p/kW·h gas 2.3p/kW·h nuclear

As the proportion of wind generation increases it becomes even less economic (because greater stand by is required).

********** WIND IS FARCICAL AND BRITISH POLITICIANS (BAR UKIP) HAVE LET DOWN RURAL BRITS ON A SCALE ONCE UNIMAGINABLE **********
Ally McCabe
#3 Posted by Ally McCabe on 17 Nov 2013 at 21:05 PM
A local shunt for me with an amazing view north, now totally ruined, hang your heads in shame those who gave this the go-ahead, same to the scumbag landowner who clearly cares jack shit about our beautiful countryside.
andrew
#4 Posted by andrew on 14 Apr 2014 at 21:32 PM
Just wait until Govals is built (on ridgeline behind AM Phillip's on A90). On a trig point with views across the whole width of Scotland, plus north up many of the glens and to Stonehaven, and south to Bishop Hill (Loch Leven) and beyond.

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