The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
‘End of year’ hope for Angus offshore wind farm plans decision
COUNCIL: Seagreen deadline pushed to December after links concerns resolved
Developers behind Scotland’s largest wind farm off the coast of Angus are hopeful planning permission for the £6 billion project can be secured by the end of the year.
Seagreen Wind Energy’s timeline was aired after it emerged Angus Council parks chiefs have withdrawn opposition over the potential impact the cable route would have had on Carnoustie’s worldfamous golf links.
Talks are continuing between the council and developer over a compulsory purchase order for ground needed to run the cable from landfall at Carnoustie to a substation at Tealing.
However, the withdrawal of the parks service opposition has left only a handful of public representations to the scheme.
A council determination deadline of September 23 passed without the matter going before elected members and a new expiry date of December 19 has now been set.
Documents detailing the specified matters application, relating to the permission in principle previously secured by Seagreen, confirm statutory
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Angus Council, as the planning authority, has not made any decision concerning the... proposal. ANGUS COUNCIL SPOKESPERSON
consultees including Scottish Water and Scottish Natural Heritage have no objection.
The council owns the golf links land, which includes the Open venue championship course, and the authority’s parks service said concerns over the proposed cable route which prompted their initial opposition had been “adequately addressed”, leading to the removal of the objection.
A Seagreen spokesperson said: “We have been working closely with Angus Council and other key stakeholders to listen to comments on the matters specified... and are continuing to work through the comments received.
“We would like to thank everyone involved for their constructive engagement in progressing the application towards a decision by the end of the year.”
A council spokesman said: “Angus Council, as the planning authority, has not made any decision concerning the acceptability of the proposal. It remains under consideration.
“The application will be reported to a future meeting of the development standards committee for determination.”
Perth-based SSE Renewables has recently made major announcements linked to the project which will provide enough energy to power one million homes and, once complete, inherit the crown of Scotland’s largest offshore wind farm from the company’s Beatrice array in the Moray Firth.