A 252ft-high wind turbine erected in the grounds of a Perth insurance company near residential properties has been greeted with dismay by campaigners.
Contributors to a social media page set up by windfarm opponents Scotland Against Spin have raised concerns about the turbine in the Pitheavlis grounds of Aviva.
The application for the turbine had been granted in October 2022 subject to conditions including the submission of a shadow flicker management plan to identify potentially affected properties and the effect it could have on residential amenity.
Shadow flicker occurs when the sun shines through the turbine’s rotating blades causing a flickering effect.
Nightime turbine noise levels were also to be kept within certain levels.
Aviva had previously been denied consent to put up a similar sized turbine closer to its offices over concerns raised by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) due to its adverse impact on the setting of category A-listed buildings.
The turbine, in conjunction with existing renewable infrastructure at the site such as solar panels, will 100 percent power the offices by renewable energy.
Scotland Against Spin contributor, Alistair MacKinnon, pointed out the proposal had been called in by the Scottish Government, “but Aviva came back with a new application which mitigated..concerns by moving it over the ridge.
“[Shadow] flicker, noise etc, are all part of the planning process and have to be assessed.”
He continued: “There were no concerns on that front, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be noise nuisance…”
Karin Coltart said: “It may be the perspective of the picture, but it seems very close to the houses.”
Willie Jackson said: “It took them ages to get planning permission for this. If they think this is big God help them, but it is very close to the housing estate so they will probably get noise too.”
In a submission to planners dated February 2022 Aviva said: “If the Scottish Government are going to meet their ambitious climate change and energy generation targets of generating the equivalent of 100% of Scotland’s electricity demand from renewable sources by 2020, it needs companies such as Aviva to lead the charge in innovative, high-specification commercial office development for the future, just the same as it did when the original [Pitheavlis] building was commissioned in 1979.”
An Aviva spokesperson said this week: “We have worked across the local community to ensure that all aspects of the project are taken into consideration.
“The turbine is an important part of our commitment to help reduce our impact on the environment and supports Perth’s ambition to be Europe’s first Net Zero small city.”