The local community will be given a chance to have their say on proposals for a new wind farm being proposed near Grantown-on-Spey by renewable energy company, Vattenfall.
The proposed Ourack Wind Farm would be located 6km north of Grantown-on-Spey and immediately east of Dava. The current proposal is for a development consisting of 18 turbines with a blade tip height of 180m.
Vattenfall is keen to seek feedback on the latest project design and is planning two digital consultations with the local community. This will be delivered via a virtual exhibition, with the same information and ability to leave feedback as would have been possible at a town hall exhibition.
The exhibition will be launched on Monday, December 7th, via the project website, (www.vattenfall.co.uk/ourack) and it will remain available until 29 January for comments and feedback.
To ensure that the local community still have the opportunity to ask questions directly of the project team and in-line with Scottish Government guidance, Vattenfall will be holding two web-based, digital consultation events, on December 16th 2020 and January 13th 2021, between 3 and 7pm.
Senior project team consultants will be available during those hours to answer any questions and receive feedback through a two-way chat system. Feedback can also be submitted via the website and information will be made available in paper format if requested.
Because the capacity of the wind farm will exceed 50MW, the application will be decided by the Scottish Government under Section 36 of the Electricity Act. Vattenfall submitted a formal scoping request to the Scottish Government for their proposals in December 2019 but plans to hold community exhibitions in March 2020 were cancelled due to the restrictions of COVID-19.
Alison Daughtery, Senior Project Manager, for Vattenfall, commented:
“We’re thrilled to hold digital consultations to not only give the local community the chance to view our proposals for Ourack but also to discuss the opportunities that the wind farm could create locally.
“These are challenging times, and we’re pleased to be able to meet and listen to the community through a format that allows the same access, information and engagement as a face-to-face event.
“We’re eager to have the opportunity to present the huge economic benefits Ourack project could bring to the local area and want to have a real conversation with the community.
“We appreciate this may be an unfamiliar method to many, and we encourage everyone to share details of the exhibition with their friends and family and neighbours. Your views are critical to us, and we look forward to welcoming you to both events.”