Stuart McInnes of Ardrishaig has contacted us to share his written summary, drafted for local community councils and others, to provide people with a simplified description to help in understanding the issues with infrasound noise from windfarms.

‘As a resident of Ardrishaig, I am very much opposed to the proposed High Brenfield Windfarm near the village, by the company Low Carbon.  I have a background as a musician and sound engineer and have particular concerns over infrasound produced by these installations.  

Following a face to face meeting with a family in the Kintyre peninsula, I was shocked to hear of their suffering, poor health symptoms due to the proximity of these wind farms.  I would very much like the Scottish Government and the medical profession to turn their focus on investigating these symptoms and ultimately protecting the public rather than being swept along with Ed Milliband’s crazed and reckless path to net zero.  

The subject of infrasound is rather technical and the environmental impact assessment produced by wind farm companies are for the most totally bamboozling.  I tried to simplify things at Community Council meetings and produced a little document on the subject, which I have attached here.  Hopefully, it will be of some help.’

Giant’s Burn Wind Farm Object Now

The above links to our 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐁𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 format courtesy of our friends at Object.Now who have been working very hard to support us in generating this as we reviewed the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in detail. This tool will allow those who wish to use it, to generate their objections and send directly to the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴.

There is ALSO the option to edit the template as you go, add in additional information and change the wording to suit.

Equally you may wish to simply download your draft letter, USE AS A TEMPLATE, and work on it at your leisure and email directly to the Energy Consents Unit. Further information and support will be shared here shortly.

Further to Statkraft’s planning application submission for the Giant’s Burn Windfarm, SAVE COWAL’S HILLS invites all to a Public Meeting in Dunoon Burgh Hall at 7.30pm on Thursday August 7^th. PLEASE JOIN US to hear our campaign updates, to lend your support and to access our support with your objections.  

People sometimes wonder why a landowner would want to host a wind farm. The answer, as this court case shows, is they are being offered rents that would tempt a saint,’ is how Dr John Constable, director of the REF charity, puts it.

‘As a result, the green subsidies that make these high returns possible are now at an unsustainable level.’

Details of how the public’s cash is being splurged are laid bare in an ‘opinion’ on the litigation that was published by Lord Sandison, one of Scotland’s most senior judges, on July 10.

It reveals that Moran’s company Glenfiddich Wind Limited, which runs his estate’s wind farming operations, is suing EDF’s operating firm Dorenell Windfarm Limited for ‘sums allegedly underpaid’ under the terms of its lease.

The claim covers a three-year period from 2022 to 2024. During that time, the contract between the two stipulated that Moran’s firm would be paid either a ‘gross income rent’ based on a proportion of revenues generated by the turbines, or a ‘minimum annual rent’ of £6million, depending on which was higher.

In 2022, he received £8,496,981. The following year, the figure was £9,480,725, and in 2024 it reached £10,406,641.

The truth about Britain’s taxpayer cash-soaked wind farm industry laid bare in scandalous detail in court papers | Daily Mail Online

(summary from Scotland Against Spin – Leading the fight against Scottish wind energy policy)

The court judgement can be read here:

2025csoh62-glenfiddich-wind-limited-against-dorenell-windfarm-limited.pdf

Thank you to Friends of Clyde Muirshiel for including our article in their June newsletter. It is also so interesting to read of the great work being done on Duchal Moor re peatland restoration (article by Ronnie Cowan).

You can follow Friends of Muirshiel on their website: Home

as well as by joining their private Facebook group if you wish https://www.facebook.com/groups/friendsofmuirshiel/

The aims of Friends of Clyde Muirshiel are primarily to promote public understanding of the Regional Park and its environs, protect and safeguard the ecology and the landscape, restore the habitats and the biodiversity of the Regional Park and promote inclusive access throughout the park.

Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park and Loch Lomond & the Trossachs and National Park are critical to the rich tapestry of our shared landscapes.

Stop these giant turbines

Surely something must be done urgently to stop the mad dash to construct massive wind power stations on hills and high ground all over Scotland?

These structures are now routinely proposed to be 200m (656ft) high, and unlike previous industrial structures such as coal mines, where the pithead was often just 25m high and in a town in a valley, the new epidemic of wind turbines is already ruining, or threatening to ruin, vast tracts of Scotland’s internationally renowned landscapes, from Lewis to East Sutherland, from Caithness to the Borders, from Moray to Ayrshire, from Perthshire to Argyll, and beyond.

Until recently wind turbines 200m high were only considered for offshore developments, since they are about twice the size of wind turbines we already see near Stirling, Greenock or Ardrossan. Building such new gigantic structures represents a momentous industrialisation of our landscapes. Even peat uplands are being considered as possible construction sites, despite the inevitable CO2 thereby released, and applications for sites where permission had previously been refused are frequently being reconsidered. In practice the new planning policy NPF4 appears to be out of control.

Other options, such as hydro, micro-hydro, tidal and solar are available in the “basket of renewables”. Although sometimes more expensive to build, these in the medium and long term would surely make more sense. Avoiding onshore wind industrialisation should be a Scottish Government priority.

I wonder how many of your readers know about plans to build giant turbines above Balloch (at Auchenreoch Moor), and above Dunoon, on the Bishop’s Seat hilltops? The latter would affect Dunoon’s status as the “Gateway to the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park”. And at present, the danger is very real that, once one scheme is approved for wind industrialisation on a specific site, others will follow, changing the whole essence of the Scotland we know – and cherish.

Judging by the recent letter sent to the First Minister by no fewer than 42 community campaign groups across Scotland calling for a moratorium on Scottish wind farms, and the recent unprecedented meeting of over 30 community councils in Beauly to discuss the issue, serious concern is widespread.

It is surely high time the Scottish Government took note and urgently amended its renewables policies accordingly.

Philip Norris, for Save Cowal’s Hills, Dunoon.

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Phone mast proposals significantly reduced after UK Government rethink

Wednesday 2nd July 2025

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝟯𝟭𝟱 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝟰𝟰.

Some years ago, the UK government decided to throw £500m at improving mobile communications in remote areas, principally the Highlands. This was fully supported by the Scottish Government which had modified some planning rules to enable it.

The applications came in thick and fast for masts in the remotest spots – masts, batteries, generators and wind turbines destroying those landscapes, and with a completely haphazard approach to improving mobile coverage.

Well done to John Muir Trust and Mountaineering Scotland amongst many others including the many community councils involved in forming a coalition to successfully address this ridiculous situation.

Full article in link below

Mountaineering Scotland

A powerful publication from our friends in the Highlands

It seems important to share this book with you, just published. Essentially it is a substantial collection of testimonials from people in the Highlands on the impact of big energy infrastructure on their communities and on individual and family lives. It has been delivered to all MSPs in the Highlands, as well as all on their planning committee. 𝐈𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐮𝐩𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝.

The link to the publication is here:
https://issuu.com/kilmorack/docs/sse_testamonials…

And here is the newspaper article:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/…/blind-surging-anger…

Copies of the publication can be requested by contacting Contact Us — Communities B4 Power Companies

Double Danger for Cowal, Bute and Inverclyde – Save Cowal’s Hills