Windfarm plans ‘grounded’

Aviation chiefs have grounded plans for a new windfarm close to Glasgow over safety fears.

Proposals to build six turbines 76.5m in height in Newton Mearns were presented to East Renfrewshire Council’s planning committee last week.

But councillors rejected the plans after National Air Traffic Service (NATS) bosses raised concerns about losing track of planes. NATS claim the turbines could interfere with their radars in Glasgow and Cumbernauld, with the potential for air traffic controllers to mistake them for planes.

After objecting to the plans, a spokesman for the organisation said: “NATS is always consulted on wind turbine planning applications because they can interfere with the radar signals our air traffic controller uses to manage aircraft. Safety is always our top priority and we have no alternative but to object.”