A major event on windfarm design is taking place on Tuesday 25 November 2003 at the Stirling Tolbooth.

Could windfarms enhance Scotland's landscape? If imaginatively designed, why not? How should Local Planning Departments appraise applications - particularly in terms of design quality? Is the policy in place to demand excellence in the layout of windfarms? Are the tools ready for assessment?

Local Authority Planners in some parts of Scotland are being deluged with applications. A more coherent and quality-driven design-led approach is required, to ensure quality is delivered.

Artists are at work on this agenda too. Alex Hamilton has been appointed by Scottish Power to explore ways in which layout, colour and turbine design combine in the landscape to form artistic creations.

Answers to many of the questions will be explored at an important one-day symposium on 25 November at the Tolbooth, Stirling. This should be of particular value to planning officers, community groups, developers and their design teams.

RIAS Chief Executive Sebastian Tombs, who will be chairing the event, said; "We must ensure that what we build not only contributes to our environmental obligations - but looks good and are worthy additions to Scotland's special landscapes. It is crucial that we bring our creative influence into the debate now - as we don't have any time to lose."

The RIAS is running this event in association with the Landscape Institute Scotland, Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland and the Royal Town Planning Institute with contributions from Scottish Renewables Forum, Association for Scottish Community Councils and PACE. There are currently well over 20 projects in the planning pipeline in Scotland.