Three times more local residents support ScottishPower's proposals than oppose

ScottishPower today announced it has revised plans to build a new windfarm in Dumfries and Galloway after consulting with local people, the council and other organisations.

The UK's largest wind farm operator has unveiled new proposals for a 71 turbine site at Harestanes following a painstaking consultation process.

The new plan has removed turbines that local residents believed would have a strong visual impact and incorporates feedback from the MOD on low flying issues.

Since April, ScottishPower has consulted with local people, the Ministry of Defence, the Scottish Executive and Dumfries and Galloway Council and as a result will submit revised plans to the local authority early next year.

The revised plan is expected to be welcomed by local people. A study conducted by respected independent polling company ICM reveals that almost 73 percent of those who voiced an opinion support ScottishPower's proposal to build the Harestanes site.

ICM carried out face-to-face interviews with 300 people of all ages and backgrounds in communities within 15 km of the proposed windfarm - Ae, Auldgirth, Closeburn, Moffat, Thornhill and Kirkmahoe & Locharbriggs.

Almost half of those polled - 49 percent - said they support or strongly support ScottishPower's proposal to build the new windfarm in the Forest of Ae, compared with 18 percent who oppose the plans. The remaining 33 percent did not express a preference.

However, of those who oppose the windfarm, 43 percent did so because they fear it will spoil the view a factor that has been fully taken into account by the new proposal.

Martin Mathers, external relations manager at ScottishPower, said: "We have consulted widely over the past seven months and have listened very carefully to what people have had to say. Reducing the number of turbines not only meets MOD requirements but, crucially, after listening to the community we are removing the turbines that can be seen from people's homes.

"We are very pleased with the results of the independent research. The fact that two- thirds of those who gave an opinion support the windfarm is great news and it's notable that the majority of people welcome the positive contribution that renewable, environmentally-friendly wind power can make to meeting Scotland's future energy needs."

A full copy of the independent report by ICM will be provided to Dumfries and Galloway Council.

ScottishPower is the UK's largest windfarm operator, with 12 sites across Britain, including five in Scotland. The company produced 318 GWh of renewable electricity from windfarms last year, cutting carbon dioxide emissions in the UK by over 162,000 tonnes. Harestanes wind farm alone would save almost twice this amount each year.

ScottishPower would like to thank all those who gave up their time to help in this research.

Further information:

Simon McMillan                                     0141 566 4875 or  07753 622 257

Notes :

• Some 304 people (A, B, C1, C2, D and E social groups) were interviewed.
• The research also showed that two in three people (62 percent) are concerned generally about climate change, with 28 percent very concerned and 34 percent quite concerned. Men are more concerned (68 percent) than women (56 percent).
• Just over half of all respondents (54 percent) support the idea of wind farms as a means of electricity production, with opposition relatively low at 14 percent.
• Two in three respondents (64 percent) were aware of proposals to build a wind farm on the site. Awareness is higher in the village of Ae (77 percent), although it is also high in Kirkmahoe & Locharbriggs (75 percent). The figure for Auldgirth is 50 percent.
• ICM's study reveals that support for the Harestanes wind farm only just fails to achieve an overall majority (49 percent), but they claim this is only due to the failure of people to take a view rather than high levels of opposition. A total of 32 percent neither support nor oppose with one percent who don't know. One in five (18 percent) oppose, with more than twice as many opponents providing strong opposition (13 percent) rather than softer opposition (5 percent).