OIC submits application for Hoy wind farm

Orkney Islands Council has submitted its second planning application as part of its Community Wind Farm Project.

The council confirmed today, Monday, that it has now completed an application for a six-turbine wind farm development at Wee Fea in Hoy.

The project also includes to further proposed council-owned wind farm developments at Quanterness, St Ola and on Faray in the North Isles. A planning application for the Quanterness project was submitted in January and subsequently called in by the Scottish Ministers in March.

Th council has indicated that a planning application for the Faray project is likely to be submitted at the start of next year, with pre-application consultation due to take place from next month.

As with the Quanterness application, a request will be made to the Scottish Ministers to call in the Hoy application too on the grounds of national importance.

All three developments are described as substantial, with turbines set to be the tallest in Orkney to date (149.9 metres to blade tip). The projects therefore present a number of potential impacts, to be weighed against the potential benefits from the project, through the planning process.

Project officer, Kirsty Groundwater, said: “Individuals will have different opinions on that balance and through the planning process have the opportunity to express their support or objections to the development.

“The full application documents are available through the Council website.

“For more information, visit the planning application search and submission page of the website, read the disclaimer and copyright document available in the ‘related downloads’ section and then click on the ‘accept and search’ button.

“For the ‘Orkney’s Community Wind Farm – Hoy’ planning application search for 20/313/TPPMAJ.”

Information on how to comment on a planning application – whether that be to support the proposal or object to it – and what happens to those comments is available at https://www.orkney.gov.uk/Service-Directory/D/commenting-on-a-application.htm.

Comments can be submitted in writing, either by email to Development Management at planning@orkney.gov.uk, online through the Council website www.orkney.gov.uk or by post to: Development Management, Council Offices, School Place, Kirkwall, KW15 1NY.

OIC has advised that, in line with the Town and Country Planning (Miscellaneous Temporary Modifications) (Coronavirus) (Scotland) Regulations 2020, which came into place on April 24, 2020, the Environmental Impact Assessment Report will be available for public inspection online only. However, all documents are available (as a PDF for screen viewing only) on a USB or as a hard copy by emailing sweyn.johnston@orkney.gov.uk or by phoning 07935 872 813

More information on Orkney’s Community Wind Farm project is available on the Orkney’s Community Wind Farm Project webpage.