CONTROVERSIAL plans to erect a massive wind turbine at a Lothian beauty spot are set to be rejected by council chiefs as a blot on the landscape.

The proposal by Scottish Water has attracted a storm of protest from residents. Among the objectors is a local model aeroplane flying club, which fears the turbine will interfere with radio signals and cause potentially dangerous crashes.

Scottish Water wants to install the 300ft-tall tower on top of a hill west of Armadale, West Lothian, in a bid to cut the firm’s costs.

The £570,000 project would provide enough power to operate the nearby Gowanbank Pumping Station, which supplies around eight million gallons of water per day to Livingston and much of West Lothian and provides a back-up service for Edinburgh.

It would be the first wind turbine used in such a facility in Scotland.

West Lothian Council’s planning boss Richard Hartland has recommended that councillors refuse the application at a meeting on Wednesday, because the site is an area of great landscape value. Residents in nearby Blackridge have also raised concerns about noise pollution and say they are worried the structure will "scar the landscape".

But Scottish Water officials claim the wind turbine will not have a detrimental effect on the area and have stressed the structure would only be visible from certain parts of Blackridge and the surrounding area. They do admit it could be seen from the M8.

And the flying club says that while the turbine was nearly a mile away from their runways, many members’ remote-controlled planes, some weighing up to 50 pounds, could fly long distances over the proposed turbine site.

Bill Glasgow, safety and environment officer for Blackridge and District Model Flying Club, said the club had been operating from its site for the past 25 years and held a long-term lease with the council.

He said: "We are concerned that the large metal mass and turbulence of the wind turbine so close to our site and models in flight would cause interference to our control systems.

"Any interference while operating model aircraft could result in loss of control and potentially dangerous crashes."

The area has been designated by the council as having great landscape value (AGLV). Under guidelines set out in the Bathgate Area Local Plan, proposals for wind energy developments are not to be supported on AGLVs.

Mr Hartland said: "The proposal’s very limited contribution to national government targets for renewable energy, set against the adverse visual and landscape impact in an area designated locally because of its landscape characteristics means that, in this case, development of a wind turbine should not be supported.

"The proposal is undoubtedly contrary to the development plan and there are no over-riding material considerations that offset this development plan presumption against the proposal."

Blackridge residents also fear that if permission is granted for one turbine on the site, other applicants may emerge with plans to build a fully-fledged wind farm nearby.

Scottish Water is one of the biggest energy users in Scotland, with an annual bill of more than £17 million. Currently the utility generates less than six per cent of its required power.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has supported the scheme because of its aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which it says threaten important bird habitats.

Scottish Natural Heritage officials have not objected to the scheme, but did express concerns that granting permission could set a precedent.

A spokeswoman for Scottish Water said: "It would be inappropriate for us to say anything before a planning decision has been made.

"But as far as we are concerned, we want to work in line with government guideline objectives and reduce the amount of CO2 emissions we are producing.

"We are also committed to minimising any increase in customer charges