Perth and North Perthshire MP Pete Wishart has backed insurance giant Aviva’s latest bid to build a 77-metre high turbine to power its Pitheavlis headquarters.
The SNP MP wrote to Perth and Kinross Council last month in support of the company’s second planning application for the scheme, it has emerged.
The insurer first applied to erect a turbine at its Perth base in 2018 but Scottish ministers ended up overruling local councillors who approved the scheme on appeal in 2020.
The refusal came after Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said the development would have “a significant adverse impact” on the setting of Aviva’s A-listed office buildings.
The company sent PKC a revised planning application earlier this year to erect the turbine on land 200 metres away from the listed buildings on land east of a former sports centre.
HES has already advised the local authority it has decided not to object to Aviva’s second planning applicationn.
However NatureScot has since raised its own concerns about the updated proposal as it considers the company has chosen “a poor location” for the turbine.
The government agency told PKC in April: “We advise that this proposal would result in ... significant landscape and visual effects on the residents and visitors to Perth from within the city, its surroundings and from the major tourist routes running past the city.
“Due to the proposed turbine’s elevated and prominent location above the city our advice is that this is not a good location to site a turbine.”
Now a document published online shows Mr Wishart wrote to PKC’s head of performance and resources Barbara Renton in early May supporting the application and drawing particular attention to Aviva’s stated aim of cutting its carbon emissions to zero by 2030.
Mr Wishart wrote: “I support Aviva’s operational ambition to be net zero by 2030. Part of this ambition will be achieved by installing a new wind turbine.
“Aviva is one of the largest employers in Perth and their commitment to act now on climate change and significantly reduce their carbon footprint is important.
“I have been advised that the new and revised proposal envisages a scheme for a single wind turbine with a generation capacity of up to 1MW and a tip height of up to 80 metres.
“I understand that it will have a potentially larger MW output, due to technological advances in wind turbine technology.
“I understand that, in response to the built heritage issues raised in relation to their previous application, the proposed turbine has been relocated 200 metres east of the Aviva building, beyond the sports complex on adjacent land.
“I have been informed this will substantially reduce the potential impact on the setting of the category A listed building, whilst maintaining the turbine in close enough proximity to provide a visual demonstration of Aviva’s commitment to the environment and the ambition to be operationally net zero by 2030.
“I understand that Aviva hopes to help PKC showcase their commitment to green energy, which will support the council’s ambition to be Europe’s first net zero small city.”
The application awaits a final decision from PKC.
