Cnoc Farasd
Official Deadline To Objection: 18th Jan 2026
The proposed Cnoc Farasd Wind Farm is a large scale onshore wind energy development planned for a remote upland area of the Scottish Highlands. The site lies within a landscape characterised by extensive peatland, exposed moorland, and limited existing infrastructure, forming part of a wider environment that is both ecologically sensitive and visually undeveloped. The proposal would introduce tall industrial structures, associated access tracks, borrow pits, cabling, and grid connections into an area that currently derives its value from its openness, tranquillity, and environmental integrity.
From the perspective of objection, the development represents a substantial and permanent alteration to land that performs important carbon storage, hydrological, and ecological functions. Deep peat and peatland systems in the area are highly vulnerable to disturbance, and large scale excavation and drainage required for turbine foundations and access infrastructure risk irreversible damage. Such disturbance has implications not only for habitat loss and degradation, but also for carbon release, water quality impacts, and downstream effects on catchments and private or public water supplies.
The proposed wind farm would also impose significant landscape and visual impacts. Turbines of considerable height would be visible across wide areas, fundamentally changing the character of the surrounding hills and valleys. The scale and industrial nature of the development is difficult to reconcile with the existing landscape designation and the expectations of residents and visitors who value the area for its wild and undeveloped qualities. These effects are compounded by cumulative impacts when considered alongside other existing or proposed energy developments in the wider region.
Concerns extend beyond environmental harm to include issues of process and proportionality. Objections often highlight that developments of this nature are being concentrated in sparsely populated rural areas, placing the environmental and social burden on communities that derive limited direct benefit. There are also questions around whether the proposal adequately considers alternatives, avoids sensitive areas where possible, or properly accounts for long term impacts, including decommissioning and restoration in fragile peatland environments.
In summary, the proposed Cnoc Farasd Wind Farm is objected to on the basis that it would introduce an industrial scale development into a sensitive Highland landscape, with unacceptable risks to peatland, hydrology, biodiversity, landscape character, and local amenity. Taken together, these impacts raise serious doubts as to whether the proposal can be considered environmentally sustainable or compatible with responsible land use and planning objectives in the Highlands.
