Carrick Windfarm

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Location

Carrick Windfarm is located within the Carrick Forest, a commercial forest block of the Galloway Forest Park which is owned and managed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS). The Site is wholly within the South Ayrshire Council administrative area.

Current Stage

ScottishPower Renewable's (SPR) application for a development consisting of up to 13 wind turbines, up to 200m in height to blade tip and an energy storage facility was referred to the Scottish Government's Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) in September 2022. A Public Local Inquiry (PLI) covering a number of topics was held in summer 2023 and further inquiry sessions for Aviation Safety were held at the end of April 2024.

All of the documentation related to the PLI can be found on the DPEA website at:

DPEA - Carrick

Project History

This project is a result of the partnership SPR has with Forestry and Land Scotland, where SPR was awarded exclusive rights to investigate the feasibility of onshore renewables projects within the National Forest Estate in south west Scotland.

As part of the development process, two wind monitoring masts were installed within the site, one on Eldrick Hill in January 2019 and another on Garleffin Fell in March 2020.

In May 2020, ScottishPower Renewables (SPR) submitted a request for Pre-Application advice from South Ayrshire Council and a request for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Scoping Opinion from the Scottish Ministers. A Scoping Opinion was received in October 2020 and can be viewed on the Energy Consents Unit website (Ref: ECU00002063).

In December of 2021, a planning application was submitted to the Energy Consents Unit (ECU) for consideration and copies of this 2021 submitted documentation can be found below in the 'Documents' section.

Following consultation with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), SPR took the decision to remove one wind turbine (T10) from the Site Layout design. This change was applied for via the submission of an Addendum to the application for consent. An EIA Addendum document, updated figures and visualisations can be found in the ‘Documents’ section below.

Community Consultation

Early consultation is key to the way SPR develops projects, and throughout the development process SPR ensure local communities and stakeholders are given the opportunity to provide feedback and are kept informed of project progress.

Due to the Government guidance issued as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, face-to-face consultation was unfortunately not possible during the consultation period in 2020. The Scottish Government regulations in force replaced the requirement for physical, face-to-face public events, with an alternative online version and as a result SPR held a Public Information Event online from 14 October to 06 November 2020, which was accessed by 561 separate visitors. As COVID-19 restrictions have eased, SPR have also attended Community Council meetings in the local area, and continued to utilise methods of engagement such as mail and leaflet drops, this website and the project email mailbox.

While the online event ended in 2020, you can access some useful FAQs here and you can continue to contact the Project Team using the contact details noted below.

Benefits

SPR is proud to support local communities, helping them to deliver their long term aspirations. Our community benefit funds across the UK totals more than £50 million to date, with over £9 million going directly to local communities in South Ayrshire.

As a responsible developer of renewable energy, we are keen for the communities surrounding this project to benefit. SPR will provide a community benefit fund and an opportunity for local communities to invest in the operational windfarm, should they choose to do so.

With established sites nearby, SPR has a history of working positively with communities within the region. SPR is keen to ensure employment and the business skills required to maximise the economic benefits can be delivered locally ensuring those who live near our sites benefit.

The socio-economic assessment carried out as part of the Carrick Windfarm EIA predicts that the project could provide:

Support for up to 140 jobs benefiting South Ayrshire during the construction phase and support for approximately 421 jobs for Scotland as a whole.
Additional benefits to the local supply chain as a result of services supplied to the operation of the Proposed Development;
The local economy with a total of £8.8 million of net Gross Value Added (GVA) during the construction period. The Scottish economy could benefit by some £26.4 million net GVA.
The Scottish economy with approximately £1.3 million of net GVA during the operational phase through direct, indirect and multiplier effects, with around £0.9 million net GVA contribution to the economy of South Ayrshire.
An annual generation estimated at approximately 235.8 gigawatt-hours (GWh). With potential to supply enough electricity to meet the domestic needs of up to 65,903 UK households¹(updated to account for the removal of T10).

[1] Calculated using the most recent statistics from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy showing that annual UK average domestic household consumption is 3.578 MWh (0.003578 GHw).

Site Enhancements

The project includes a Habitat Management Plan which will implement positive land management for the benefit of landscape and nature conservation, focusing on bog habitat restoration. Some of the existing forest tracks will be upgraded and new access tracks will be built around the proposed windfarm with improved signage on core paths throughout the site. There will also be provision of bins, seating areas and information boards informing users of the heritage route and existing recreational opportunities in the Carrick Forest. There is potential for the northern temporary construction compound to be converted into a car park for recreational users subject to agreement with the landowner.