Landscape Capacity Study for Wind Farm ... - North Ayrshire Council

The Blaeloch and Crosbie Hills area
Description
4.17 There is a strong north-west/south-east grain to the landform of this character
area evident in the pattern of valleys and hill ranges, such as the Crosbie Hills
with their distinctive linear ‘wave’ pattern of peaks, and the upland plateau of
more subtly rounded summits between the valley accommodating the
Muirhead/Camphill Reservoirs and the Caaf valley. Kaim Hill (387m) forms a
distinct hill, particularly when seen from the west where its steep slopes back
the coastal settlement of Fairlie. This character area is bounded by the A760
to the north and the B781 to the south. A narrow road provides an elevated
route within these uplands, aligned close to the naturalistic indented and
scrub-fringed Caaf Reservoir which sits at the foot of the Crosbie Hills, before
steeply descending to the coastal fringe. Angular forestry plantations, access
tracks, transmission lines and the Wardlaw Wood wind farm (6 turbines,
125m high) are located on the lower eastern hills of this area. The consented
Kelburn wind farm of 14, 100m high turbines would extend wind farm
development along a broad upland ridge north-east of Knockendon Reservoir.
Landscape sensitivity
4.18 All development typologies, if sited within or in close proximity to the Crosbie
Hills, would significantly affect their distinctive landform and the role they play
in separating and partially containing the existing wind farm developments of
Wardlaw Wood/Kelburn and the Ardrossan wind farm, which is sited within
the adjacent ‘Haupland Muir’ landscape character area. The landscape
setting provided to the ‘Raised Beach Coast’ by the steep slopes and rounded
hill tops of the western most hills of this character area, the highest of these
being Kaim Hill, would also be adversely affected by all typologies of wind
farm development. The ridge between Blaeloch Hill and Cocklaw provides a
rim of slightly higher ground on the northern edge of this character area and
these peripheral hills are also important in providing a degree of containment
to the existing wind farm developments of Wardlaw and Kelburn.
4.19 All development typologies located within the lower Caaf valley would
dominate the intimate scale and detract from the diverse character of the
Caaf Reservoir. Smaller and single typologies (3, 4+6) sited anywhere within
this character area would additionally unfavourably contrast with the scale of
existing turbines.
4.20 The existing Wardlaw wind farm is sited at the eastern end of a gently
undulating upland area which appears as a broad ridge when viewed from
Kaim Hill and from the A760. The consented Kelburn Wind farm which is
located on this ‘ridge’ would emphasise the association of turbines with a
particular landform feature and would appear as a western extension to the
constructed Wardlaw Wood development. A small extension (5) to the
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