The Chairman of Moray Council's Planning and Regulatory Services Committee has welcomed a decision by Vento Ludens to withdraw its wind farm application.

The proposals outlined a 19-turbine wind farm at Brown Muir, near Rothes.

It is understood the company plans to come back with amended plans for a development which will fall below the 50MW threshold outlined in Section 36 of the Electricity Act. This means that the decision will be made by the Council's planning and regulatory services committee, rather than Scottish ministers.

Discussing the withdrawn application, Councillor Ross said: "I welcome this announcement from Vento Ludens which shows they have listened to the overwhelming majority of people who were strongly opposed to a development of this scale on this site.

"Given the previous size of the application the council was only a consultee, but on two occasions the planning committee unanimously agreed to object to this application so naturally we are pleased this project will go no further.

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"By objecting to the original application the committee did so in the knowledge that it would prompt a public inquiry, to which the council would have had to devote significant resources to defend our case. We are therefore extremely pleased that this burden on council funds will no longer be required.

"There were in excess of 2000 objections to this application and the strength of feeling from people across Moray was clear that this was an inappropriate location for this form of development and I am sure the people who put in a considerable amount of time and effort to campaign against this application will be happy with Vento Ludens' announcement."

The Councillor added: "While the application has been withdraw I note that the company want to come back with a scaled down plan which will mean that the decision will be taken by members of the planning committee rather than Scottish ministers.

"Again I welcome this, as if we are good enough to consider and determine a range of applications we are surely equally qualified to determine this new application when it is received and local people, who may be for or against the plans, will hopefully take comfort in the fact that the decision lies with their own locally elected councillors."

In a statement on its official website, Vento Ludens said: "The decision to withdraw the Section 36 application was taken following a full and thorough review of the feedback received from the community and other stakeholders.

"However, we still remain entirely committed to the site as one that is suitable for a wind development but in listening to the feedback we have received we believe that it is necessary to re-design the site, and this process has already begun.

"A new application will be prepared over the coming months and we will go through another full consultation process with statutory bodies and local people."

(JP/MH)