Public Document Pack Argyll and Bute Council Comhairle Earra Ghaidheal Agus Bhoid

Public Document Pack Argyll and Bute Council Comhairle Earra Ghaidheal agus Bhoid

Customer Services Executive Director: Douglas Hendry

Kilmory, Lochgilphead, PA31 8RT Tel: 01546 602127 Fax: 01546 604435 DX 599700 LOCHGILPHEAD

3 June 2014

SUPPLEMENTARY PACK 1

PLANNING, PROTECTIVE SERVICES AND LICENSING COMMITTEE - GLENBARR CHURCH HALL, GLENBARR, ARGYLL on THURSDAY, 5 JUNE 2014 at 11:00 AM

I enclose herewith supplementary planning report number 2 for item 3 which was not included on the Agenda for the above Meeting.

Supplementary Report

3. FYNE FUTURES LTD: ERECTION OF 3 WIND TURBINES (100 METRES HIGH TO BLADE TIP), CONTROL BUILDING, NEW AND IMPROVED ACCESS TRACKS AND ANCILLARY DEVELOPMENT: LAND SOUTH OF AUCHADADUIE, BARR GLEN, GLENBARR, KINTYRE (REF: 11/02525/PP) Report by Head of Planning and Regulatory Services (Pages 1 - 4)

PLANNING, PROTECTIVE SERVICES AND LICENSING COMMITTEE

Councillor David Kinniburgh (Chair) Councillor Gordon Blair Councillor Rory Colville Councillor Robin Currie Councillor Mary-Jean Devon Councillor George Freeman Councillor Alistair MacDougall Councillor Robert Graham MacIntyre Councillor Donald MacMillan Councillor Roderick McCuish Councillor Alex McNaughton Councillor James McQueen Councillor Sandy Taylor Councillor Richard Trail

Contact: Fiona McCallum Tel. No. 01546 604392

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Argyll and Bute Council Development & Infrastructure

Delegated or Committee Planning Application Report and Report of handling as required by Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 2008 relative to applications for Planning Permission or Planning Permission in Principle ______

Reference No : 11/02525/PP

Planning Hierarchy : Local

Applicant : Fyne Futures Ltd

Proposal : Erection of 3 wind turbines (100 metres high to blade tip) control building, new and improved access tracks and ancillary development

Site Address : Land South Of Auchadaduie, Barr Glen, Glenbarr, Kintyre ______

SUPPLEMENTARY REPORT No.2 ______

(A) SUMMARY

This report details additional representations received from third parties since the original report and Supplementary Report No 1 were produced. ______

(B) ADDITIONAL REPRESENTATIONS

Additional expressions of support for the proposal have been received from the following:

Laura McAlister (23.04.14) 13 Prospect Terrace, Rothesay, Isle of Bute

Reeni Kennedy-Boyle (22.04.14) (no address given)

D & F McAllister (22.04.14) Glenacardoch Farm, Glenbarr

Seonaid Clark (22.04.14) (no address given)

Neil Donaldson (22.04.14) Donaldson Environmental Consulting

P Heard (22.04.14) Glenbarr Schoolhouse, Glenbarr

M Weir (22.04.14) Cara View, Tayinloan

Peter McKerral (22.04.14) McKerral Transport, Campbeltown

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P Sinclair (22.04.14) Glenbarr Stores, Glenbarr

Steven Watson (25.04.14) 28 King Brude Terrace, Inverness

Mr and Mrs D Armour (19.05.14) Old Post Office Cottage, Glenbarr, Tarbert

Robert Semple (11.05.14) Glentramman, Glenbarr, Tarbert

Fergus Younger (23.05.14) Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society Ltd

Adam Bergius (24.05.14) Glencreggan, Glenbarr, Tarbert

There are no particular grounds of support further to those already detailed in the previous Supplementary Report.

In response to the original committee report the agents acting for applicant have made the following summarised points which they would wish Members to note:

EIA Development – The Council screened the proposal and decided that it did not amount to development warranting the production of an Environmental Statement. Nonetheless an EIA has been submitted voluntarily.

Visualisation compliance with SNH guidelines – whilst SNH were initially critical of the quality of the visualisations, updated information has been supplied to address their concerns.

Forestry information – The report is critical of the absence of information to meet the requirements of the Forestry Commission, who have only been involved in the application during its latter stages. The applicants have been in recent discussion with FCS and are capable of meeting their requirements.

Access considerations – A Traffic Management Plan and Construction Environmental Management Plan have not been produced at this stage as these would require the involvement of chosen contractor. Consequently, the applicant’s position is that these matters should be addressed by way of condition and that it is unreasonable to expect that all access information should be provided in advance of the application being determined. All relevant information in terms of traffic generation, access route and overview of required improvements has been supplied.

Comment: Members will be aware that in view of circumstances elsewhere where implementation of a wind turbine permission has been frustrated by the inability to satisfy access requirements to the satisfaction of the Council as Roads Authority, the recent practice of this Committee has been to require that all access matters should be addressed prior to determination, in order to eliminate any uncertainty associated with the ability to comply with planning conditions related to access requirements.

Colin Renfrew (Company Secretary of the applicants, Fyne Futures and Chief Executive of its parent company Fyne Homes) has written to state:

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1) Community based and community benefit focused housing associations are key players in sustaining rural communities;

2) The Argyll & Bute economy benefits from a £5m spend by the Fyne Group and the employment of approximately 50 staff;

3) Annual Scottish Government grant funding has fallen to £7m from a peak of £26m in 2009 so other means of funding are necessary to sustain previous development levels;

4) This is an innovative opportunity to generate £780,000 a year which equates to 17 affordable homes or 31 jobs.

Comment: The track record of the applicants and the contribution which the Fyne Group makes to the Argyll economy are not in dispute. However, the credentials of an applicant are not a material consideration in the determination of planning applications. Whilst the intention of the development is to contribute financially to the activities of the Fyne Group, and indirectly to benefit communities in Argyll, there is no direct link in planning terms between income derived from the operation of the turbines and its contribution to the deliverability of particular projects.

Additionally, although generation of revenue from wind energy may well be an advantageous means of helping to finance the activities of the Fyne Group, there is no imperative that it must involve development of this particular location, and no case that it can only be achieved by means of the application proposal. Consequently, in the event that there are accepted shortcomings associated with the local environmental effects of the proposal, there can be no credible reason for giving this application any more favourable consideration than would have been the case had the identity of the applicant been different.

______

(D) RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that permission be refused for the reasons stated in the original report.

Author of Report: Richard Kerr Date: 3rd June 2014

Angus Gilmour Head of Planning and Regulatory Services

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