Will blimps fly around Kintyre?

on July 12th,2012

FLYING blimps could be the best way to make communities understand the impact of wind turbines.

A Kintyre group set up to organise opposition to wind farms is considering the idea,which took off near Leicester in February this year.

Robin Nolan,Chairman of Kintyre Turbine Watch,said the group wanted to emulate what had been achieved down south,where the blimp idea gained the support of local MP Alan Duncan,and the developer eventually agreed to pay for their deployment.

He told The Courier:‘I would like to see it as part of the standard planning process. It’s very difficult for people to visualise the impact of turbines from the likes of photo montages and computer modelling,which is what developers currently provide.’

‘In putting these things [the blimps] in place,people going about their ordinary everyday business can see them in the landscape and understand the real impact that a wind turbine at the same height would have.’

Mr Nolan added the group was keen to work on the blimp idea with Fyne Futures,the company whose application for three 100-metre-high wind turbines at Auchadaduie near Glenbarr is currently being considered by planning officials.

For more stories from Kintyre see the Campbeltown Courier out every Friday or at www.campbeltowncourier.co.uk/digital.