An East Ayrshire farm has been given the go ahead to install 1,000 solar panel modules on land which was home to the area’s first ironworks in the 1700s.
Alan Blackwood, of Auldhouseburn Farm, applied to install the 200kW of ground mounted panels which will be laid out in rows alongside Furnace Road right at the edge of the Muirkirk boundary.
While there were no objections, the West of Scotland Archaeology Service pointed out the historic value of the site and stressed the need to monitor it for finds during development.
They stated: “The application lies on top of Muirkirk ironworks. This is recorded as the location of the first ironworks in the area being established in 1787 and is a significant industrial archaeological site.
“Any ground disturbance involved in the application could reveal buried remains of significance associated with the ironworks.
“A simple watching brief during the main pieces of proposed ground disturbance is advised.
“This would allow the onsite archaeologist to observe whether there are remains associated with the ironworks impacted by the proposals and to record them as necessary.”
Where the degree of archaeological significance or survival is uncertain, I would advise the council to consider attaching an archaeological watching brief condition to any consent they may be minded to grant.”
Muirkirk Iron Works were built in 1787, opening the following year. A canal ran east from the iron works and served a number of coal mines.
The ironworks were located just beyond the end of the Muirkirk 1st rail line which opened in 1848, connecting it with Ayr Harbour.
The works finally closed in 1923 following a strike where the blast furnaces had been left to cool with iron inside them. However, the works were only demolished in the 1960s, leaving little in the way of remains.
The report concluded: “The proposed ground mounted solar array is not considered to have a negative of significant impact on adjacent uses of residential properties. The proposed location will mitigate the visual impact with minimal visibility from the public domain.
“In conclusion and noting the above assessment, the proposed installing of ground mounted solar panels is considered to be acceptable under the terms of the relevant policies.
“Having considered all the relevant matters such as the material considerations highlighted within this report, there are none that would warrant the refusal of the application to outweigh the provisions of the development plan.”
The application was approved by planning officers.
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