The Scottish Government has refused permission for the Kyle wind farm due to impacts on aviation safety and on the landscape.

Ministers agreed with the report of the public inquiry that the development would affect the safe operation of radar at Prestwick airport and have significant landscape and visual impacts.

Energy Minister Jim Mather said: "The Reporter concluded that the Kyle wind farm would be inconsistent with the East Ayrshire Development Plan because of the effects on air safety at Prestwick airport and due to the impact on the landscape. While I am not bound to accept the Reporter's recommendation, after careful consideration I have decided to do so.

"As our record of approving 14 renewable projects shows, we want to approve good projects, in the right places, with benefits for communities and in harmony with the environment. Scotland has a huge clean, green energy potential, and as a responsible administration we will not approve applications which have detrimental safety and environmental impacts."

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The Government have now invited the applicant to come forward with a new application, with better shielding to reduce radar and landscape impacts. In doing so they will have the opportunity to work locally to develop a proposal with community benefits.

In October 2004, Amec Project Investments Ltd applied for consent for the Kyle wind farm in East Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway. The original application of 100 turbines was subsequently reduced to 95, and then to 85, to address issues raised by objectors. The development, as amended, would have a capacity of 255 MW.

A total of 4260 representations were received, all of which were objections to the development. Of these, 4257 came from members of the public and three from Non-Government Organisations (NGOs). 4,175 objections, including those from the three NGOs, came from Scotland, 3559 of which (including 1 NGO) were from East Ayrshire. 74 objections came from other areas of the UK and 11 came from unknown areas.

East Ayrshire Council objected on landscape and visual grounds. As Ministers could not resolve the objection by modifications or conditions, the application was referred to a Public Local Inquiry (PLI).

(GK/JM)