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Daily Record
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Perth and Kinross Council decides not to object to 100MW energy plant
The application will be determined by the Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit due to its size Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) has not objected to a proposed 100MW energy plant near Coupar Angus. The proposed electricity generation station at Kettins would be situated on 4.2 hectares of farmland currently used for crops. PKC's Planning and Placemaking Committee was asked on Wednesday June 11 to consider the application, submitted to the Scottish Government due to its size. In December 2024 Cogeo Planning and Environmental Services Ltd submitted a planning application to the Scottish Government, on behalf of Merseyside-based Balance Power Projects Ltd to build and operate the proposed electricity generating station. The application site, referred to as Hallyburton BESS, sits within the Hallyburton Estate, Kettins. Planning applications for battery energy storage systems which are 50MW or higher require approval from Scottish Ministers. The Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit consulted PKC on the proposed development on land 260m south east of Colbeggie Farm Cottage, Kettins. The footprint of the built area would be 1.3 hectares - just smaller than the combined size of two football pitches. The built site would include: 28 battery blocks - with each block containing four battery containers; 28 inverter and transformer units; two auxiliary transformers; two control room and welfare units; two private substations; two storage rooms and two district network operator (DNO) rooms. The development would also include access, lighting, security fencing, drainage and acoustic fencing. The site is currently being used for crops and sits within an agricultural rural landscape of Coupar Angus bounded by hedgerows and post and wire fencing. Last week, PKC's Planning and Placemaking Committee was asked to consider whether or not to object to the application. If PKC had objected, it would have triggered the requirement for a public inquiry to be held to consider the application. The committee's convener SNP councillor Ian Massie put forward a motion not to object to the application. It was seconded by Conservative councillor David Illingworth. Conservative councillor Ian James raised concern "it was too large" and "on a prime agricultural site". Cllr Bob Brawn agreed but the pair were unable to table an amendment -to oppose the application - which was deemed legally competent. National planning policy does allow for energy developments to be built on prime agricultural land. The report of handling - put before councillors - said: "...the global/local need for energy is outweighed by the small loss of land proposed for this development. Furthermore, the site has been designed so the land is minimally disturbed." And councillors were told there was nothing to show the plant was taking more land than required for 100MW. The committee agreed to uphold planners' recommendation not to object to the application.
The Courier
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Courier
Bridge of Earn Hospital heroes set for street name honour as 43 new houses approved
The stars of the old Bridge of Earn Hospital could be honoured in the housing development taking shape in its place. A councillor is asking locals to suggest former hospital staff for street names on the new Oudenarde estate. It comes after councillors unanimously approved the latest phase of the GS Brown project. The agreement means another 43 houses can now be built on the old Bridge of Earn Hospital site. Councillor David Illingworth says he has already received a number of suggestions. And he says it's been 'incredibly moving' to hear people's stories. 'People have so many fond memories of the old hospital,' he said. 'We don't just want to recognise doctors and surgeons. 'We want to hear about the nurses, matrons, catering assistants, everyone who played a big part in the life of the hospital.' Bridge of Earn Hospital opened as a 'temporary' hospital for wartime casualties in 1940. It closed in 1992 and the buildings were demolished in 2006. Potential street names shouldn't already exist in Perth and Kinross, eg Kirk (Wynd); Clark (Terrace) or Campbell (Avenue). And streets cannot be named after living people. The Oudenarde estate plans were first aired more than 20 years ago. GS Brown was given planning permission in principle for up to 1,600 homes in September 2016. The project was delayed by nearly three years after Scottish Ministers intervened over road safety concerns. The plans also include commercial and industrial development and a primary school. Perth and Kinross Council's planning committee approved the latest phase after they were given assurances about drainage arrangements at the site. Planning officer Sean Panton said the council's flood team was satisfied the development would reduce the risks. Councillors also agreed to a condition that a bridge is constructed over the rail line, linking it with the proposed site of a new primary school. Following the decision, a spokesperson for GS Brown said: 'We are delighted that planning approval has been granted for the second phase of our development at Oudenarde. 'Following the successful launch of our first phase, which consists exclusively of bungalows and is already proving popular with buyers, this new approval allows us to expand our offering with an exciting range of two-storey homes.'
Daily Record
15-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
£13 million road linking Bertha Park to A9 North of Perth to open at the end of 2026
Work has been accelerated on the third phase of the Cross Tay Link Road project Work on a £13.2 million project to create a road connecting Bertha Park to the Cross Tay Link Road and the A9 north of Perth has begun. The new Bertha Park Link Road is expected to open at the end of 2026. A capital budget report put before Perth and Kinross Council's Finance and Resources Committee on Wednesday, April 30 said construction work on the project had been accelerated. The new road - just under a mile long - will connect Bertha Park to the Cross Tay Link Road and the A9 north of Perth. It is the third and second last phase of the £150 million Cross Tay Link Road (CTLR) project. It will head north from the existing roundabout next to Bertha Park High School, going through housing in Bertha Park and on through areas of farmland and forestry before meeting the new A9 west roundabout. At last Wednesday's meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee, Conservative Almond and Earn councillor David Illingworth said: "I'm pleased to see the Bertha Park Link Road has been accelerated. Are there any estimates for when it will start and how long it will take to deliver?" PKC's strategic lead for Economy, Development and Planning Serge Merone said: "Initial works - tree clearance and construction of temporary accesses - have commenced. That will be followed by further advanced works. Earthworks will commence in June 2025 and we anticipate the completion before the end of 2026." Planning permission for the new route was granted earlier this year by PKC's Planning and Placemaking Committee in February, just ahead of the Cross Tay Link Road's three-span Destiny Bridge and four-mile New Kingsway officially opening on March 31.
The Courier
01-05-2025
- Business
- The Courier
All Perth and Kinross bin lorries will run on vegetable oil
Perth and Kinross Council chiefs want all of the authority's heavy goods vehicles to run on vegetable oil by the end of this year. It follows successful trials of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) in bin lorries. The green fuel will now be expanded to all 26 refuse collection vehicles in Perth and Kinross. The council has 80 HGVs in total across its fleet. Councillors agreed the plan on Wednesday, despite a plea to scrap it and spend the £100,000 cost on rural buses instead. HVO costs about 15p more per litre than diesel. But bosses say the scheme could reduce the authority's carbon footprint by 725 tonnes of CO2 a year. Councillor David Illingworth compared the proposal to 'trying to whistle in a hurricane' in the era of Donald Trump and Chinese industrialisation. 'It will have virtually zero impact on carbon reduction across the globe,' he told colleagues on the climate change and sustainability committee. 'And at the same time we are incurring extra costs that we just don't need to have.' However, his motion to divert the money towards enhancing rural bus routes was defeated by seven votes to four. The committee's convener Richard Watters said it was 'a dangerous message to send'. Perth and Kinross Council agreed to trial the use of vegetable oil instead of diesel in six bin lorries last February. The experiment was a success, and 18 of the vehicles are now using it. The HVO expansion is part of a five-year fleet decarbonisation strategy agreed by councillors on Wednesday. It also outlines ambitions around technologies such as electric and hydrogen. The council's fleet currently numbers 452 vehicles, most using diesel or petrol. However, it's hoped the Binn Ecopark Hydrogen Facility being developed by Green Cat Energy at Glenfarg could make hydrogen a viable option within the next few years. The size and rural nature of Perth and Kinross means there's still a limit to the usefulness of electric vehicles. But bosses want the vehicle pool to increase to 15% electric (around 30 EVs) over the next five years. A report to the committee said: 'The most appropriate strategic approach will include options for electric, hydrogen, HVO and a smaller number of diesel vehicles as a backup support for outlying areas.'
