Haggis tycoon Simon Howie has angered neighbours with plans for a wind turbine at his farm.
The millionaire butcher wants to construct a 104-metre tall structure at Findony Farm on the edge of the Perthshire village of Dunning.
Some residents argue the turbine which would dwarf the 93-metre Statue of Liberty would overshadow homes and historic properties and have warned of a creeping industrialisation at the Dunning farm where Mr Howie’s business empire is based.
The Findony site has expanded over the years as the business has grown.
It now includes a £2 million solar array which Mr Howie installed to reduce energy costs.
The millionaire butcher wants to construct a 104-metre tall structure at Findony Farm
Speaking to The Courier newspaper last December he said the move would help to protect against job losses among the 110-strong workforce at the site.
The wind turbine is being proposed in addition to the solar panels. It would be capable of producing up to 2.3 megawatts of electricity.
Perth and Kinross Council has extended the time allowed for comments on the proposal after residents complained they were not notified.
Dunning Community Council discussed the application at a packed meeting on Monday night.
The group is said to have been given until November 17 to collate local opinions and submit them to planners.
An artist’s impression showing the proposed 104 metre tall wind turbine at butcher Simon Howie’s Perthshire farm
The ‘planning portal’ on the Perth and Kinross Council website was also reopened to allow residents to comment. This is after some claimed they were not able to access it before the deadline for submissions.
Dunning Community Council chairman Neil Johnston said the application had generated a great deal of unrest in the village.
He told The Courier: ‘The place was absolutely packed and a lot of views were put forward.
‘We wanted to make sure we were gathering the views of the whole community, and to make sure people know how to make their view heard.’
He also told the paper that some people raised concerns that the works at Findony Farm ‘amount to the industrialisation of what is a conservation village’.
The application has already attracted dozens of comments on the council website with some hitting out at the plans while others applaud the business for taking action to tackle climate change.
In a supporting statement for the plans submitted to the council, the company referred to the ‘strong environmental credentials attributed to the Findony Farm factory’ and said it is looking to reduce its carbon emissions by 500 tonnes annually.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
