Ben Wyvis, magnet for windfarms?. Photo: Nick Bramhall CC-BY-SA-2.0

Ben Wyvis, magnet for windfarms?. Photo: Nick Bramhall CC-BY-SA-2.0

Mountaineers fear a prominent munro is becoming a magnet for windfarm developers after a second company announced it was considering building 19 turbines, five months after a different firm withdrew plans for the same mountain.

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland said it was astonished a developer would consider siting a windfarm on the Ben Wyvis special landscape area.

It urged developer PI Renewables to shelve its plans for the southern slopes of the 1,046m (3,432ft) munro, north-west of Dingwall.

Highland Council turned down Falck Renewables’ proposals for turbines on Clach Liath on the slopes of Ben Wyvis earlier this year.

MCofS chief officer David Gibson said: “It appears Ben Wyvis, a superb mountain which welcomes visitors arriving from the south to Inverness and the Moray Firth area, has become an unfortunate magnet for windfarm developers.

“After a long and hard-fought campaign by objectors, Falck Renewables heard the message loud and clear: that the visual impact of a wind farm on this mountain is simply not acceptable.

“They backed down in the face of local and national opposition. We urge PI Renewables to have the wisdom not to proceed.”

MCofS board member Ron Payne, director for landscape and access said: “This is yet another example of an unacceptable wind farm proposal, part of which is to be located in a designated special landscape area, and demonstrates why the Scottish Government must implement planning safeguards which protect Scotland’s superb landscapes from such intrusive developments.

“If PI Renewables insist on pushing this proposal through planning, they can expect to be faced with strong and determined opposition.”

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