More information on the application

• The proposed site is within the Great Cumbrae Special Landscape Area and the Barbay Hill Local Nature Conservation Site. The site is by the Glaid Stone at the Highest Point of Cumbrae, a local beauty spot and viewing area. It will also be visible to Largs and Fairlie.
• The 37.8 acre solar farm would take up 1.3% of Cumbrae’s land area. That is the same as 22 football pitches.
• Each panel would be up to 3m high. There would be 19,000 panels.
• The land faces east and south-east, with some facing north.
• The ‘temporary’ solar farm would have the right to remain for 25 years. Its construction would take up to eight months.
• The estimated 5MW that it would generate would go direct into the national grid with no benefit to the local community.

The application is for ‘detailed’ planning permission, but crucial information is missing which makes it impossible to fully understand the proposals

• How would it be built? There are no elevations or sections through the solar farm itself showing the solar panel arrays and their supporting structure. This is a fundamental omission.
• What would happen to the power? There is no detail as to how the power would get to the national grid. The options would be above ground pylons, or buried cables but what would this look like? What route would it take?
• What studies have been done? How would rainfall run off from the panels affect the boggy moor? Would it cause run off down the hill to the road? The Environmental Report states hydrological and ecological surveys and assessments may be required, but gives no indication that these will be undertaken.
• What impact would its construction have on the island? The proposed road ‘improvements’ and passing places which would need to be made to the Inner Circle are not detailed and are described as ‘potential’. Are these intended? They would be a significant change to the road. The application states construction would take up to eight months. This has the potential to cause disruption to ferry traffic.

Many other details are also missing

• There is no information about the design of the 2m-high perimeter fence.
• There are no details about the design of the CCTV poles or cameras - which way they would they be pointing? What would their range be?
• There are no details about the size/design of the communications mast.
• There are no details about the design of the power converting units.
• There are no details about the design of BESS transformer units.
• The colours, materials and sizes of the buildings associated with the solar farm are described as ‘indicative’, making it unclear whether these are the intended designs.