Banks revises Lethans plans

Banks Renewables has submitted revised plans to the Scottish government for its Lethans community wind farm in East Ayrshire.

The resubmission, first reported in the latest issue of subscriber-only newsletter reNEWS, reduces the number of turbines to 22 from 26. Total capacity of the wind farm is now 74.8MW.

The plans also remove five turbines that were originally proposed to be located on a ridge and would instead place them within a valley area, which is “better screened from view”, Banks said.

It added that the changes had been made following comments and suggestions, including feedback from East Ayrshire Council, to improve the appearance of the wind farm in the landscape.

Banks community relations manager Lewis Stokes said: “We have had an invaluable opportunity to take on board comments received from the agencies consulted to bring forward a wind farm which will generate a significant amount of clean, renewable energy and ticks all of the boxes from a technical perspective.

“The new design and the lie of the land on the site means that the wind farm will fit into the local landscape.”

The wind farm is expected to cost about £70m, with an estimated £17m to form local contracts.

It is also expected to contribute approximately £8m over the 25-year lifetime of the project to community initiatives, in addition to a £250,000 investment towards improving access to the site with cycling and walking facilities.

Image: Banks Renewables