THERE were emotional scenes as councillors approved a controversial biomass plant to service a Moray distillery.
One objector broke down in tears after councillors voted 7-6 in favour of the combined heat and power plant at Craigellachie Wood.
The plant will supply heat to The Macallan Distillery and electricity to the national grid.
However, it attracted over 130 objections and two petitions opposing the size and scale of the plant in a countryside location.
A special meeting of Moray Council’s planning committee heard that the plant will operate 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
There was an impassioned plea from Speyside-Glenlivet councillor Fiona Murdoch to throw out the application by the Speyside Renewable Energy Partnership. She said it was an inappropriate development in such a sensitive area.
However, fellow Speyside members Michael McConnachie and Pearl Paul moved approval of the plant, which the developers say will create up to 40 jobs at the plant and in the local forestry and transport sectors.
For a full report on the debate see The Northern Scot print version.
