Eagle to demand wind farm development planning answers
A Highlands and Islands MSP is set to demand ministers “come clean” on their plans for onshore windfarms across his region.
Buckie-based Conservative MSP Tim Eagle, the Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, said that he has been impressed by the strength of feeling from communities across the Highlands and Islands he has experienced since being elected earlier this year.
As a result, he is planning to table a series of parliamentary questions to Scottish Government ministers, including how often the government has overturned planning decisions made by councils on onshore wind developments.
He said: “Communities across my region are becoming very upset by the way that the planning system seems to be tipped against them, no matter the merits of the case, or the impact it has on them.
“But worse still, even if local people gain the support of their elected representatives, and applications are turned down by the council, all that happens is that the decision is referred to the Scottish Government which overturns the decision of the council. And even if they are successful then, there is nothing to prevent the developer from simply repeating the exercise until they win.
“It’s like David versus Goliath.
“While we all, mostly, accept the need for more renewables, I believe the whole system is in danger of falling into disrepute as it is at risk of losing all credibility with the communities it is supposed to serve. Ministers need to come clean and not keep hiding behind process. They need to become more accountable, and the system needs to be more transparent.”
Mr Eagle’s initiative is being backed by local councillors who have also been seeking to represent the views of their communities.
The leader of Moray Council, Councillor Kathleen Robertson (Conservative, Forres), said: “Communities here, particularly in rural areas, have become very concerned about the impact of some renewable projects on their local landscapes.
“However, the repeated decisions of the Scottish Government to overturn planning decisions by the council, if we refuse consent, is placing the council in a very difficult position. Do we go through the expense of the process if the final decision is, effectively, not ours to make?
“This is why I welcome Tim Eagle’s initiative which, hopefully, will provide some clarity on what can often seem a very murky procedure.”
