Welsh company West Coast Energy confirmed this week that once all background work has been undertaken it will submit a full planning application for the site at Clatto Hill.

The firm — which already operates a small windfarm at Little Raith outside Kirkcaldy — said it should be ready to lodge plans with Fife Council within three months.

Planning and development manager Jonathan Cawley said it was hoped plans would be for between five to seven turbines around 100-120 metres in height, to be erected on the hillside.

A number of background reports including environmental studies are currently being carried out and an anemometer mast has been in place for some time to measure wind speed.

Mr Cawley said he was aware of the unsuccessful but highly contentious application by Scottish Power in 2003 for a 17-turbine windfarm on a nearby site at Clatto, but said he felt a smaller development was more likely to be acceptable.

Meanwhile, plans for an even smaller scale windfarm at Clatto Farm could be submitted to the local authority by the end of the month.

The owner of the farm, Douglas Rennie, said he hopes his plans for a £7.5 million development of three 2.3 megawatt turbines would be given the green-light.

If the bid is successful Mr Rennie said he hoped local business people would come forward with financial backing for the scheme.

Mr Rennie said he wanted to keep the project small-scale so it stayed within his control and said he felt the Scottish Power application had failed because it was simply too overwhelming.

Read more in the Fife Herald.