Tanera turbines plan prompts impact report
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A BID has been lodged to erect three 50ft (15m) turbines at a Ross-shire beauty spot within a specially designated area.
The plan for Tanera Mor on the Summer Isles north of Ullapool has triggered the need for a probe to gauge its environmental impact.
It’s part of an ambitious restoration project on the largest island, Tanera Mor, by financier Ian Wace who bought it for around £2 million with his wife, Saffron.
The off-grid island currently relies on diesel generators for its electricity and the proposal lodged with Highland Council would see those replaced by the modern 10Kw turbines.
There have been pre-planning talks between Highland Council and the applicant, Summer Isles Enterprises Ltd, on the proposal which lies in Assynt-Coigach National Scenic Area (NSA).
The council and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) have asked the applicant to carry out a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA).
SNH points out it is "a sensitive area" and that "the turbines and the associated access infrastructure may have an effect on the scenic qualities of the NSA".
In a letter to the council, SNH states: "In our pre-application advice we have indicated that the principle of a small renewable energy development in this location is unlikely to have an adverse effect on the integrity of the NSA; nevertheless, we consider that a focused LVIA is still required to inform the application to reduce possible effects."
Lizzie Williams, a former co-owner of Tanera, said it was too early to have had much feedback about the proposal but pointed out that the Coigach community had erected a 50m high turbine on the mainland.
She added: "We are working with SNH and the council and doing our best to site it as sensitively as possible.
She said: "I intend to be very pro-active, and work out the benefits the turbines would bring, such as carbon saving by not having to run the diesels. We have visited the Isle of Muck which is also an NSA with five or six community turbines to see how things are done there. We also investigated the cost of bringing in a sub-sea cable over to Tanera to connect to the National Grid, but that would have been fabulously expensive."
Photo-montages will give an indication of the scale of the turbines against the landscape and in about six weeks an island open day is planned to which residents across at Achiltibuie will be invited to see the site.
"We could possibly erect a mock-up structure to show the actual height of the turbine," said Ms Williams. "We have a green ethos here and we try and make the buildings as beautiful as possible, therefore the building associated with the turbines will look more like a small cottage, possible stone built, with solar panels on the roof facing south."
Mr Wace, a financier with an estimated fortune of £200 million, and his wife, have embarked on an ambitious four-year plan to make the island a special retreat for up to 60 paying guests.
The vision is to make it an idyllic escape, where art, literary and other creative pursuits and celebrations can be enjoyed by people wishing to experience a special place.
The couple were captivated by Tanera’s natural beauty and history and say they recognised the importance of the 766-acre island to the community of Coigach.
