Carsphairn wind turbine appeal lodged

The Longburn scheme would see 10 turbines built near Cairnsmore of Carsphairn

An appeal has been lodged against the refusal of plan for a 10-turbine wind farm in Galloway.

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland raised concerns the Longburn project would form a "ring of steel" around Cairnsmore of Carsphairn.

Dumfries and Galloway Council's planning committee voted seven to five to reject the scheme.

Developers have appealed against that decision, arguing that its impact had been "significantly overstated".

ERG, an Italian renewable power producer, and its partners, Burcote Wind, have been working on the project for several years.

They said a community benefit fund could generate nearly £3m over the lifetime of the scheme.

Sergio Chiericoni, chief business development officer at ERG, said: "We are confident in this project.

"Our initial application received no objections from statutory consultees outwith the council's internal landscape architect and archaeologist.

"We have worked closely with the council and consultees for the last five years to ensure that we brought forward an application that was both sensitively designed and located, and one which addressed previous issues on the site."