The Glencassley site and Ben More Assynt
Mountaineers have expressed their shock at the prospect of two new windfarms being built in one of Scotland’s national scenic areas.
Two separate plans for a total of 48 turbines at least 125m (410ft) height have been submitted for sites in Sutherland.
The Mountaineering Council of Scotland said the areas in which the turbines would be built are some of the nation’s most important remaining wild land.
Planning officers with Highland Council have recommended planning committee members should not object to the plans, despite councillors expressing their concerns recently about the development of windfarms in inappropriate areas.
SSE Generation wants to build a windfarm at Glencassley and WKN Sallachy has applied to build a similar installation at Sallachy.
The Mountaineering Council of Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and John Muir Trust have all raised strong objections. Both applications would have a severe impact on precious and unspoilt mountain uplands and intrude on the Assynt-Coigach national scenic area, the MCofS.
The Sallachy site near Loch Shin
David Gibson, chief officer of the MCofS, said: “It will be truly shocking if Highland councillors vote in favour of windfarm proposals that would do such damage to the wild landscapes that make Assynt-Coigach so special.
“It would put councillors on the wrong side of the conservation debate, the wrong side of public opinion and would do a great wrong to the natural heritage they are supposed to protect, and which is so important to their constituents’ tourism businesses.
“Highland councillors have previously shown grave concern about the impact of inappropriate windfarms and we hope they will do the right thing and oppose these hideous applications.
“The Scottish Government has recently indicated in its national planning framework consultation that it may make small, but welcome moves, towards protecting national scenic areas from windfarm industrialisation.
“It would be deeply unfortunate if these wind farms were given a green light while the Government is consulting on these proposals.
“We are calling on minister Fergus Ewing to make a real stand for Scotland’s natural heritage and put a halt to wrong-headed proposals like these.
“Unless he takes serious action to keep wind farms well away from our remaining unspoiled mountain areas we risk a situation where natural wonders like Ben Assynt are swamped in a sea of turbines. Scotland deserves better.”
The MCofS said it believes that any proposal in this location would be a mistake, and two so close together would be disastrous because of their cumulative impact.
The organisation, which represents hillwalkers, climbers and mountaineers north of the border, said the Sallachy and Glencassley planning applications also come during the Year of Natural Scotland, when the Scottish Government and the VisitScotland tourism agency say people should be celebrating the country’s natural heritage.
Mr Gibson added: “It is an appalling idea that a huge power company like SSE, which is behind the Glencassley proposal, could be allowed to make money from putting around two dozen industrial scale turbines on unspoiled and beautiful land during the Year of Natural Scotland.
“Right now there is a huge international publicity campaign inviting the world to come and enjoy our wide open space, just as SSE wants to smother them with turbines, 21km of tracks, concrete buildings and 80m masts.”
Oliver Patent, head of international development at WKN, said: “We are delighted that the application has met with the approval of the Highland Council planners and we hope this view is supported by Highland councillors when it goes to the north planning applications committee.
“Our Sallachy project is our first proposed development in the UK and represents a potential into Scotland of over £130m and the creation of over 70 new jobs.
“The planners’ recommendation is the first step forward in making this potential investment in the Highlands areality.
“WKN is aware of the debate surrounding wild land.
“In our discussions with local people in the area, we have concluded that the local people want windfarms that are sensitively sited and are not sited close to rural Highland communities.
“We believe our windfarm is sited in such a location and will bring many benefits to the Highlands and the local communities in the form of community benefit and employment.
“The area of our proposed windfarm has existing development, including hydro infrastructure, access roads and plantation woodland, and we believe it is well placed for a renewable energy project.”
Neither SSE had not responded to our requests for a comment at the time of publication.
MoiraJonesUllapool
18 May 2013The scandal continues.
Wind does not displace or replace our use of coal/ gas/ nuclear; it is merely one of the biggest PC follies of the modern era.
Scots who care about the environment want nuclear. Arguments against it are misinformed, outdated and regressive.
As of 2012, France's electricity price to household customers is the 7th cheapest amongst the 27 member European Union, and also the 7th cheapest to industrial consumers, with a rate of €0.14/kWh to households and €0.07/kWh to industrial consumers. France was the biggest energy exporter in the EU in 2012, exporting 45TWh of electricity to its neighbours.
NUCLEAR FRANCE = 65 million people. 395 million metric tonnes of CO2 produced annually.
COAL/ GAS/ NUCLEAR (+pathetic renewables sideshow) BRITAIN = 60 million people. 532 million metric tonnes of CO2 produced annually.
Hinkley, in Somerset, will cost £14 billion and supply power to 5,000,000 homes. Scotland has little over 2,000,000 homes.
It's safe and discreet: http://rogerhelmermep.wordpress.com/2011/10/17/the-extraordinary-safety-of-nuclear-power/
http://www.templar.co.uk/downloads/Renewable%20Energy%20Limitations.pdf
Both sites are also on 'deep peat'; thus they will do untold damage to our peat bogs - which hold more CO2 than rainforests. This is nothing but state licensed stupidity on a scandalous scale.
JAMEDDUNDEE
18 May 2013If this goes ahead then the Highland Council lose every ounce of their credibility.
SHELIAHODGES
18 May 2013These would be a national disgrace; Sallachy, for instance, is located smack bang in the middle of Area 32 - the 32 area of 'core wild land'that SNH announced last week.
Many articles on these sites also cheekily/ tactfully assumes that all people who despise turbines do so only for aesthetic reasons. It ignores the more worrying facts that show that windmills have no legitimate part to play in our energy mix. None at all.
Wind also does not displace or replace our use of coal/ gas/ nuclear; it is merely one of the biggest PC follies of the modern era.
Scots who care about the environment want nuclear. Arguments against it are misinformed, outdated and regressive.
As of 2012, France's electricity price to household customers is the 7th cheapest amongst the 27 member European Union, and also the 7th cheapest to industrial consumers, with a rate of €0.14/kWh to households and €0.07/kWh to industrial consumers. France was the biggest energy exporter in the EU in 2012, exporting 45TWh of electricity to its neighbours.
NUCLEAR FRANCE = 65 million people. 395 million metric tonnes of CO2 produced annually.
COAL/ GAS/ NUCLEAR (+pathetic renewables sideshow) BRITAIN = 60 million people. 532 million metric tonnes of CO2 produced annually.
Hinkley, in Somerset, will cost £14 billion and supply power to 5,000,000 homes. Scotland has little over 2,000,000 homes.
O\'DonoghueinGlasgow
18 May 2013Wind 'power' is con power.
Every turbine represent fuel poverty, misguided conceptions of what is 'Green', deluded politicians, dead birds and bats, destroyed carbon sink peat bogs, battered property values, drops in tourism.... The list goes on.
Windmills are the scandal of our time.
JaneR
19 May 2013It would be a national embarrassment if these were built - both on peat bogs which hold more CO2 than rainforests.
TH
19 May 2013Scots voted for the SNP. They knew the policy in their manifesto. If you don't want these developments then vote them out.
JohnHawlins
19 May 2013The SNP will be voted out asap. They'll lose their referendum by 75%+.
DodgyKnee
20 May 2013Why is it the only news articles I seem to see that refer to the 'Year of Natural Scotland' are reports on issues that are directly at odds with it?
The whole thing is meaningless. The only thing that decides these things is how much money will be made.
In a hundred years the entire country will be covered in concrete!
Mark
20 May 2013Incorrect and one sided article. Renewables are not a "pathetic side show" as the Daily Mail readers have swallowed, but will soon represent 15% of the UK's energy mix. Sure, nuclear is important, but so are renewables. The arguement that they need subsidy doesn't stack up either as all energy generation requires subsidy. If you think solar PV and wind need subsidy you should compare to that of nuclear.
Hagerty
20 May 2013Mark, you forget that from other forms of energy we get a reliable amount of electricity when we need it. They are worth the money and the limited - compared to wind - negative visual impact.
'Renewables' are like a ferry service running beneath a perfectly good bridge. Is that ferry sometimes used? Sure. Does that ferry running stop the bridge being used? No. Does it even dramatically effect the numbers using that bridge? No. Is the bridge used all the time? Yes. Can the ferry ever be used all of the time? No.
The ferry is not needed.
I'd also remind you, Mark, that in Scotland over 70% of windmills are built on peat bogs - vital carbon sinks. I'd also remind you that they have been shown to effect tourism and property values badly. I'd remind you that wind fuels our use of gas - thus gas and wind are, in large part, responsible for the out of control levels of fuel poverty in Scotland (at over 40%). I'd remind you that Professor Lovelock - founder of the modern Greens - calls them 'monuments of a failed civilization.' I'd alos urge you to acknowledge the fact that they kill large numbers of rare birds and bats - not the average pigeon.
Windmills have no role to play in Scotland.