Craiginmoddie Wind Farm

Project overview   

Pegasus Group’s Environment and Planning teams played an instrumental role in securing consent under s36 following a public inquiry for the Craiginmoddie Wind Farm, after the site’s original application had faced objections.

The 732-hectare development site is set to comprise of 14 wind turbines up to 200 metres in height, which once operational will have a generating capacity of 92MW of clean energy, with 7MW of battery storage.

Appointed by Energiekontor after the initial application to the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit (ECU) was referred to the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division (DPEA) following an objection by South Ayrshire Council and others. Pegasus’ Environment and Planning teams provided landscape and visual impact assessment, planningand expert witness services for the Craiginmoddie development at the appeal inquiry sessions.

As a result of the team’s successful inputs to the appeal process, consent was granted for Craiginmoddie by the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit in November 2025. Pegasus’ support has played a key role in helping to deliver a new clean energy development, which could be invaluable for both the UK and Scotland’s net-zero goals.

The challenge

The scale and nature of renewable energy developments – particularly wind farms – often present unique planning and environmental considerations and regulations for developers to navigate.

As a large-scale energy site with a generating capacity of over 50MW, the project was a Section 36 application in Scotland – which had to comply with Scotland’s National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) and onshore wind guidance, as well as The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017.

The project also faced a unique challenge at the appeal inquiry, as it was co-joined with two other projects in the region. As such, the inquiry also had to consider how Craiginmoddie would relate to the other two projects, in addition to its own impacts on the local environment.

To ensure the site stood the best chance of consent at the appeal, the team at Pegasus therefore had to carry out detailed assessment of: the project’s potential impacts on visual amenity; the character of the local landscape; and residential amenity.

These thorough assessments then had to be presented clearly and in detail to the co-joined inquiry, to ensure the decision makers fully understood the site’s potential impacts and benefits, and how they could be weighed in the planning balance.

The solution

Pegasus Group’s landscape and visual impact assessment support and expert witness services combined digital photomontages from a range of viewpoints in the surrounding landscape, with extensive site visits in and around the area. This informed detailed written and oral evidence presented to the appeal inquiry regarding the potential for effects on visual amenity and the character of the local landscape, alongside residential visual amenity.

As a co-joined inquiry, the material provided also considered the factors involved with all three projects’ cumulative impact.

Pegasus’ support successfully highlighted that Craiginmoddie would provide significant value to the region, particularly in terms of clean energy generation, which would outweigh any impact on the nearby landscape.

The team’s clear and detailed evidence on landscape and visual and planning matters played a key role in achieving successful consent at the appeal for Craiginmoddie wind farm.

If you’d like to discuss how Pegasus can support your development, get in touch.