Energy firm succeeds with second bid for taller Glenkens turbine

An energy firm has again been successful with a bid for taller turbines in the Glenkens.

Energiekontor UK has won the right to increase the height of windmills at Glenshimmeroch near Dalry to as much as 200m.

It comes on the back of the Scottish Government giving the permission for a taller turbine at Fell Hill near Loch Urr earlier this month.

The firm was given planning permission for 10 turbines up to 150m tall at Glenshimmeroch in 2019.

It then appealed to Holyrood to increase the height to as much as 180m after the council failed to make a decision within the required timeframe.

That was approved, paving the way for the firm to launch a new bid for turbines as tall as 200m last year – which was also appealed to Holyrood after no decision was made by the deadline.

Scottish Government reporter Christopher Warren said he felt that larger turbines “would not obviously increase the scale of landscape or visual change relative to the scale of change that would result from the approved scheme”.