Blackmyre Moor wind farm plan dropped

A monitoring mast for the project attracted more than 50 objections

An energy firm has dropped plans to build a wind farm in the Galloway Hills Regional Scenic Area.

Vattenfall was studying the possibility of constructing up to 10 turbines at Blackmyre Moor near Creetown.

The placement of a wind mast in the area to assess the viability of the scheme drew more than 50 objections.

Vattenfall is now to share information it gathered on bird flight paths in the area with RSPB Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage.

The company said it had decided not to pursue the plans due to concerns about the proximity to important historical sites and the potential visual impact.

Project manager Andrew Bennett said: "Planning policy guidance set out recently by Dumfries and Galloway Council has indicated that only turbines of less than 80m would be appropriate for this area.

"We respect the guidance given by the council and this was a factor in our decision to withdraw.

"We felt it was important to confirm our decision to withdraw to give certainty to as many local residents as possible."

He said he hoped the ornithological studies carried out by the firm could "supplement the understanding of bird species and numbers in the local area".