Plans for Forsinain Forest wind farm submitted near Flow Country World Heritage Site

# What this is Low Carbon has submitted a planning application to the Scottish government for the Forsinain Forest Wind Farm. The scheme would place up to 12 wind turbines on land roughly 3km (2 miles) north of the village of Forsinard in the Highlands. The developer says the site sits outside the UNESCO Flow Country World Heritage boundary.

# Project details and developer claims Low Carbon reduced an earlier plan for up to 19 turbines during design revisions. The current application lists up to 12 turbines with a combined capacity reported elsewhere as 86MW. The company says the wind farm could generate enough electricity for more than 98,000 homes annually.

The application pairs generation with land restoration: Low Carbon proposes converting about 383 acres of non-native forest back into peatbog. The developer also sets out local financial benefits. A community benefit fund connected to the project is estimated at roughly £432,000 per year, and the scheme could deliver an estimated £1m annually in business rates to Highland Council.

Andy Sloan, identified as project development director at Low Carbon in the coverage, framed the proposal as contributing to Scotland's climate targets and energy security while combining generation with nature restoration and community payments.

# Conservation concerns and local context The Flow Country is one of the world's most intact blanket bog systems, covering nearly 469,500 acres across parts of Caithness and Sutherland. It gained UNESCO World Heritage status in July 2024 after decades of campaigning. The area supports sphagnum mosses, wetland plants, numerous insects and bird species including greenshank, golden plover, dunlin and hen harrier.

RSPB Scotland, which manages a reserve at Forsinard, says it supports carefully sited renewable projects but has significant concerns about a wind farm in this sensitive location—describing the site as in the heart of the Flow Country UNESCO area and adjacent to nationally and internationally protected nature sites and RSPB's Forsinard Flows Nature Reserve. The Flow Country Partnership was contacted for comment.

# Planning process and next steps The application has been submitted to the Scottish Government's Energy Consents Unit. That unit handles onshore wind developments that require national-level consent under Scotland's planning framework. The application will be subject to consultation responses, environmental assessments and statutory processes before a decision is made.

# What to watch

• The detailed environmental impact assessments, particularly peatland and habitat effects and how restoration proposals are defined and secured.
• Scottish Government handling via the Energy Consents Unit and any subsequent conditions or modifications required if consent is granted.

# Bottom line Forest application updates a long-running national conversation about expanding onshore wind while safeguarding sensitive habitats. Low Carbon pairs a reduced turbine layout with proposals to restore peatland and deliver local payments. Conservation bodies have signalled they will scrutinise the application closely given the proximity to the Flow Country World Heritage Site and nearby protected reserves.