A FRESH round of public meetings is to be held across North Ayrshire in the next few weeks to give people the chance to have their say on a planned new wind farm in the area.

Galileo Green Energy is "exploring the potential" for a development of up to 13 wind turbines on land between West Kilbride, Dalry and Fairlie - each one with a maximum height of up to 200 metres.

The company says its planned Crosbie wind farm would be capable of generating more than 78 megawatts (MW) of "clean, green energy", enough to power up to 51,289 homes a year.

A battery energy storage system (BESS) is also planned to store the energy produced at the site.

A total of £390,000 in 'community benefit' could also be paid out by Galileo for each year of the project's lifespan if it receives planning approval.

The proposed generating capacity of the project means a decision on whether to grant permission will be made by Scottish ministers, not by North Ayrshire Council - though the local authority will be asked for its views if and when a formal application is lodged.

Galileo, which says it hopes to submit an application to Scottish ministers later this year, held an initial round of public meetings in Dalry, Ardrossan, West Kilbride, Millport and Fairlie in November, and the company's officials have now also held talks with Cunninghame North MSP Kenneth Gibson.

Largs and Millport Weekly News:

Further public meetings are planned in the same locations over the space of nine days in late April and early May - as well as an event on Arran, since the project, if permission is granted, will be visible from large parts of the island's east coast.

Mr Gibson said: "We discussed the practicalities of the development as well as the potential annual community wealth fund of £390,000 to support local initiatives and projects for every year that the wind farm is in operation.

"After over 150 people attended Galileo’s initial round of community engagement events which took place in November, the project team is currently refining the proposals for the wind farm further to feedback from these initial events and the results of ongoing environmental and ecological surveys on the site."

Details of Galileo's second round of engagement events are as follows.

  • Tuesday, April 23: Dalry Community Centre, 7-9pm
  • Wednesday, April 24: Fairlie Village Hall, 10am-2pm
  • Wednesday, April 24: Whitlees Community Centre, Ardrossan, 4-6.30pm
  • Thursday, April 25: DA Hall, Millport, 5-7pm
  • Tuesday, April 30: Brodick Public Hall, Arran, 10am-2pm
  • Wednesday, May 1: West Kilbride Village Hall, 12pm-4pm

All members of the public are welcome to attend the events and to put any questions to the Galileo team.

For more details on the wind farm development proposal, go to https://crosbiewindfarm.co.uk/