By DARA BUTTERFIELD
A wind turbine manufacturer is seeking to hire a planning consultancy to vary the planning permission for Turbine No.3 at the Hunterston Demonstrator site.
Bidders must be able demonstrate a minimum average turnover of £70,000 over the last two years.
The approved application is for three turbines of up to 198.5m (to blade tip) and associated infrastructure (roads, lay down areas, construction and monitoring compound, meteorological masts).
Scottish Enterprise – acting on behalf of a turbine manufacturer – is seeking to vary this to permission for a wind turbine measuring up to 220m (to blade tip) with two associated meteorological masts.
It has yet to be confirmed whether this development would require a major application. Scottish Enterprise will attempt to clarify this with North Ayrshire Council prior to appointing the consultant, and would ‘strongly prefer’ to avoid the major application route of determination due to the resulting delays to application determination.
The developer would like this completed in as short a time as possible to achieve the target construction date of Q3 of 2015. Turbine foundation construction works are required to start by September 2015
Scottish Enterprise has been working with SSE at the Hunterston Test Turbine Facility. The approved application (11/00679/PPM) is for three turbines of up to 198.5m (to blade tip) and associated infrastructure (roads, lay down areas, construction and monitoring compound, meteorological masts).
SSE has control of two turbines while Scottish Enterprise has control over the third. Of the two turbines under the control of SSE, one turbine is operational while the other is under construction.
The deadline for submitting a bid is 14 January 2015.
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