Dura ForestAllanton, North Lanarkshire, ML2 9PJ

Dura Forest extends to about 424 hectares and occupies an area of relatively flat land in the lowlands of North Lanarkshire.

The site was originally planted in the 1970s with Sitka Spruce and Lodgepole Pine in mixture, with a further 12 hectares of more productive land to the southwest planted in 1999. Felling commenced in 2005 primarily in conjunction with a wind farm development which sits on the eastern part of the property. Much of the site has now been felled for wind development, or felled and replanted in accordance with the forest plan. The current productive timber area is 220ha (52%), the lower proportion reflecting the wind farm use across a significant portion of the site.

The Black Law Wind Farm was commissioned in 2005 and is one of Scottish Power Renewables largest operational sites. The whole wind farm comprises 54 turbines, each with a rated capacity of 2.3MW. Dura Forest has 10 turbines and an anemometer mast, a total installed capacity of 23MW. The current agreement is under two leases running to November 2044 and January 2046 respectively. In line with market trends, the expectation is for this to be extended and the wind farm site repowered, but this will be subject to the necessary consents. The base rent is currently £72,000 per annum and is index linked. Annual income figures over the past 5 years have ranged between £95,000 - £110,000. Variable rent and habitat
management payments make up the difference.

There are 20ha of broadleaves located throughout the site and some areas of open ground now show developing broadleaf regeneration, improving the biodiversity.