An informal community meeting was held in the Glendaruel Hall at 2:30 PM on Sunday, October 26, 2025, to discuss early issues arising from the award of the re-powering lease of Cruach Mhor to Belltown Energy. Prior to the event, an information sheet including details of the meeting had been distributed by hand to all households in the Colintraive and Glendaruel area.
Approximately 50 people attended. It was stressed at the outset that the meeting was not about the desirability of re-powering or about wind farms in general. The statutory planning process will be the appropriate context to resolve such issues using the established legal framework.
Presentations were made by Michael Russell, Chair of the Cruach Mhor Wind Farm Trust; Sara Maclean, Chair of the ColGlen Development Trust; Charles Dixon Spain, Chair of the ColGlen Community Council; and Alistair MacLeod, a local resident with experience in large energy projects.
The three local organisations have been recognised by Belltown and Forest and Land Scotland (the owners of Cruach Mhor) as “community partners.” In that role, they would serve as the vehicle for negotiations regarding the re-powering, though the anticipated timescale suggested that the process would be lengthy and that no generation could be expected— even if planning permission was granted— before 2032.
The three bodies acknowledged the absolute necessity of actively involving all those in the community with appropriate skills . It was also emphasised that a united community approach would be essential to achieve the best outcomes for the area.
After extensive discussion and questions covering a wide range of topics, it was agreed that the consensus of the meeting was to continue exploring both options currently on the table: either undertaking negotiations with Belltown directly or agreeing that such negotiations would be handled by Cowal Community Energy on behalf of the ColGlen community.
The meeting heard that the availability of funding to retain expert advice, the skills base within the community, the nature of the offer from both Belltown and Cowal Community Energy, and the experiences of other communities with Belltown would be important factors in reaching a decision.
The meeting anticipated that a further community meeting would need to be held once more information on these matters was available. In this regard, it was noted that Cowal Community Energy would be holding a briefing event in the Glendaruel Hall at 7:00 PM on Thursday, November 13.
In order to provide information for those who were unable to attend the meeting, it was suggested that a digital copy of the two Power Point Presentations used at the meeting and this summary note would be placed on the Community Council and Development Trust websites (see below), and a physical copy made available in the Colintraive shop.
>> View Introductory Presentation
>> View Community Risk Presentation
Attendees were asked to provide their email addresses in order to facilitate continued updating. Those not present who wish to continue to receive information and to participate in the process are urged to email the Community Council ‘s contact address, which is secretary @ colglencommunitycouncil . org . uk.
