Plans to construct 11 turbines on land, north east of St John's Town of Dalry, have been rejected.

Planning officials at Dumfries and Galloway Council had recommended approval of the 2020 Renewables development – subject to a number of conditions.

However, more than 50 objections had been submitted against the proposals and Councillors ruled in favour of the opponents.

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They refused the scheme due to its "visual and cumulative impact on the surrounding area".

Managing director of 2020 Renewables, Alan Baker, is quoted by the BBC as saying: "We worked very hard to ensure our application met with the approval of Dumfries and Galloway Council's planning officers and we are disappointed the planning applications committee has gone against the advice of their own officials.

"It is a real shame the application has been refused as it would have generated substantial economic benefits to the region.

"We will now consider our options as we move forward and we would like to thank the local communities and businesses in Dumfries and Galloway who gave us support as we progressed our application."

(JP/MH)