Wind’s Eye & why HDT is proposing to buy it

‘Wind’s Eye’ is the 168-hectare (415 acre) section of plantation woodland on the northern edge of Gartly Forest, adjacent to Greenmyres.

It is owned by Scottish Ministers and managed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS). HDT is proposing to purchase Wind’s Eye through the FLS Community Asset Transfer Scheme (CATS).

Bringing Greenmyres and Wind’s Eye together is a natural and strategic next step for HDT. It would enable us to build on the strong foundations we’ve already created and significantly increase the benefits we can offer for local people and visitors alike by:

• Developing a community wind energy project adjacent to the existing Greenmyres/Dummuies turbine cluster to generate substantial community investment funds, and
• Providing more opportunities for recreation, health, education, volunteering and skills development, as well as more biodiverse, wildlife friendly forestry. All of this would be right next to Greenmyres and make use of the infrastructure we have created there.

Wind’s Eye offers a unique opportunity to tackle the challenges facing Huntly and District for generations to come. The proposal is completely aligned to national policies promoting community energy, community land ownership, community wealth building and improving biodiversity. In the volatile world we live in today, it will also contribute to national energy security and help tackle climate change.

Wind’s Eye forms ca 14% of GF, the rest will remain under Scottish Ministers’ ownership & FLS management.