Planning Application : Lieurary, Westfield
Proposal Description		Proposed construction of two wind turbines, 55 metres to hub, 90 metres to blade tip, at Hill of Lieurary, Westfield. Supplementary information has been supplied by the developer for this proposal.
Planning Application Reference		06/00488/FULCA
Deadline for Objections		9th October 2009

Use the following form to submit an objection on-line

Objection Form
Name (Required - In Capitals)
Address (Required)

Town (Required)
Postcode (Required)
Email (Required)
Planning Application	Consent to construct and operate a wind farm at Lieurary, Westfield. Supplementary information has been supplied by the developer for this proposal.
Planning Application Ref:	06/00488/FULCA

Please enter your concerns and reasons for objecting in your own words in the text box below. This will ensure that your objection is recognised and counted as an individual objection.
Reasons for Objecting
Please select as many of the items listed below which you consider are also relevant to your objection.

	Introduction
	Highland Council refused permission in 2005 for a three turbine development on Lieurary Hill. It went to appeal, and the Scottish Ministers upheld this in 2006. The reporter in his decision notice noted that the developer had offered to reduce the size and power output of the turbines and commented that "..I do not consider that the reductions suggested would overcome the problems I have identified".
	Landscape and Visual Amenity
	The development would have an unacceptable cumulative visual impact when considered with other consented windfarm developments in Caithness.
	These turbines will have a significant negative visual impact across the entire county. The turbines are to be sited at heights of 112/103m on Lieurary Hill. This will bring the total height of hill and turbine to 202/193 metres. The highest hill in central Caithness, Ben Dorrery, is only 244 metres.
	Noise Disruption
	Low frequency noise from wind turbines causes a disproportionately high level of disruption to neighbours when compared with other noise sources. Turbine noise is disruptive because it varies in frequency and loudness, and is attenuated at night when other environmental noise sources are normally reduced.
	A body of evidence convincingly shows that wind turbine noise causes wind turbine syndrome, the symptoms of which include sleep disturbance, tinnitus and problems with memory and concentration. A study by Pierpont (2009) related that subjects' symptoms were not present before turbine operation and they were resolved once exposure ceased. The only mitigation of sleep disturbance from industrial wind turbine noise is distance from turbines, at a recommended minimum of 2km.
	Calculated measures of wind turbine noise can be inadequate. Dutch research on installed wind turbines has demonstrated that even at 1.5km from turbines, actual sound levels were 18 dB higher than expected. 18 dB represents a 3 fold increase in perceived loudness and over 20 residences are located between 1.5 and 2km of the proposed Lieurary windfarm. Serious sleep disturbance has been recorded at noise levels as low at 32 dBA. Actual noise levels within 2km of the wind farm would conservatively exceed 40 - 45 dBA.
	Socio-Economic Issues
	The development would have a significant long-term detrimental impact on the amenity of people living nearby. SPP6 says "Broad criteria should be used to set out the considerations that developers should address in relation to local communities. These should ensure that proposals are not permitted if they would have a significant long term detrimental impact on the amenity of people living nearby."
	The proposal is contrary to policy G5 as the sustainability and vitality of the local community will be degraded.
	Tourism
	The proposal is contrary to Policies T2, T6 and L4. These policies highlight the importance of safeguarding the landscapes in this county. The open views and natural wildness of the landscape across the whole of this flat county are the major attractions for tourists who visit Caithness.
	Ecology
	The proposal is contrary to Policy N1 in the Highland Structure Plan in that the development will be sited close to Loch Calder, a component part of the Caithness Lochs Special Protection Area. This area is used by both native and migratory species of birds of European importance and protected by European Law.
Please acknowledge receipt of this objection in writing

Please click the Submit button and wait for the next page to download, which returns you to the home page of the web site. A copy of this form has been sent to Director of Planning, Highland Council. If your form has submitted successfully you should receive an emailed auto-response almost immediately containing a copy of your objection. Please make sure that you have received this (also check your spam folder).

Important: this method sometimes generates an error message when the "submit" button is pressed. The problem is likely to be caused by the way the internet service provider you are using has set up the server. Another cause might be software such as a firewall, anti-virus or anti-spyware program running on your computer not allowing the form to be sent as an email. If this happens please return to the objections page, download and complete the form and send it by letter post to The Director of Planning and Development, Highland Council, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness IV3 5NX.

Thank you for taking the time to register your concerns about the proposed windfarm.