A plan for a wind farm which prompted more than 4,200 objections has been refused, it was announced today.

A plan for a wind farm which prompted more than 4,200 objections has been refused, it was announced today.

Permission for the 85-turbine farm has been rejected on the grounds that it could affect radar at Prestwick Airport and be unsightly.

The wind farm would mainly be located in East Ayrshire but would also extend into Dumfries and Galloway.

Announcing the decision, energy minister Jim Mather said developers Amec were being asked to come back with a new application with better shielding, to address both issues.

The decision follows a local inquiry last year which said the application for the Kyle wind farm would be inconsistent with the East Ayrshire Development Plan.

The original application, in October 2004, was for a 100-turbine farm, later reduced to 85 with a capacity to generate 255 megawatts.

This prompted 4,260 objections, including East Ayrshire Council who objected on landscape and visual grounds, and Prestwick Airport.

Mr Mather said today that while he was not bound to accept the inquiry recommendation, he had decided to do so.

"As our record of approving 14 renewable projects shows, we want to approve good projects, in the right places, with benefits for communities and in harmony with the environment," said Mr Mather.

"Scotland has a huge clean, green energy potential, and as a responsible administration we will not approve applications which have detrimental safety and environmental impacts.

"We have therefore invited the applicant to come forward with a new application, with better shielding to reduce radar and landscape impacts.

"In doing so they will have the opportunity to work locally to develop a proposal with community benefits."

He said the SNP administration had now decided on 20 energy applications in 18 months, included approval for the giant Clyde wind farm, compared to 18 approved over four years by the previous administration.

"During tough economic times, Scotland's renewables sector is booming and the scale of investment is hugely exciting," he said.

"That includes not just wind but the whole renewable energy mix - from biomass to the energy we can generate from waves and tides."