Item6CommitteeReportBerryburnWindfarmExtension

This document contains a report informing the Cairngorms National Park Authority's (Park Authority) decision and consultation response regarding a proposed Berry Burn wind farm extension, located southwest of the Cairngorms National Park. The Scottish Government Energy Consents and Deployment Unit (ECDU) is considering the application because the output is more than 50 MW. The Park Authority's assessment focuses on the wind farm's impact on the landscape and Special Landscape Qualities (SLQs) of the National Park, with NatureScot providing advice on the effects outside the Park. Although the wind farm is located outside the National Park, the Park Authority needs to consider Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) and the National Park Partnership Plan (NPPP) and concluded that the wind farm extension would not significantly affect the landscape character or SLQs, and therefore, they have no objection to the proposed wind farm development. However, the Park Authority supports mitigation measures suggested by NatureScot, such as amending the design to reflect the original design logic of the Berry Burn wind farm, reducing turbine heights, and re-siting turbines westwards adjacent to the existing Berry Burn wind farm.