It was produced three years ago in a bid to give direction of the areas where large turbine developments should be concentrated.

But it is clear the £120,000 strategy is being sidelined in planning probes into proposed new developments.

The latest example has come in the final submissions lodged in the public local inquiry into Baillie Wind Farm's proposed 21-turbine venture on farmland west of Thurso.

The Highland Council's area planning committee cited the renewable energy strategy as one of its six grounds of objection to the development.

But neither the opponents nor the developers have chosen to found on it in their submissions to inquiry reporter David Russell.

Edinburgh solicitor Colin Innes, who represented Baillie Wind Farm, said the strategy was adopted before updated national guidelines, known as SPP6, were published.

The map produced by the council identified only a handful of sites in the Highlands – none in Caithness – as preferred sites of large-scale wind farms.

Mr Innes claimed there had been a clear "political" agenda.

He said: "The emphasis is to control renewable energy development and this is particularly apparent from the map.

"Areas coloured red indicate where wind-farm development is not preferred.

"Indeed, the majority of the map is red and the use of this colour sends a powerful message to developers that proposals would not be welcome here.

"Vast areas of the Highlands are embargoed with a presumption against development."

Mr Innes said this is not reflected in the subsequent national policy guidelines, which give a much more liberal approach to developments.

He concludes: "Against that background, in my submission, very limited weight should apply to the fact that the Baillie Wind Farm is a red area on the map."

Mr Innes said that while nominally a technical appraisal, "political influences" prevailed between the map's draft and its final version.

John Campbell QC, who represented the council and Caithness West Action Group, notes that the council strategy presumes against any large-scale wind farm in Caithness.

But he also failed to use the document as part of his case against the Baillie development.

The council's policy expert referred to it as "now-admittedly unsatisfactory" and believed it should have the status of supplementary planning guidance.

Mr Campbell, however, submitted that the wind farm contravenes the authority's development blueprint.

A council spokesman said the renewable energy strategy is in the process of being revised.

He said: "The strategy is being updated to take account of SPP6. It's likely to change quite a lot in terms of the areas that will be classed as preferred.

"We drew up the strategy as there wasn't one in existence at the time and the council needed something to guide them.

"It was a first start and it got things going and maybe encouraged the Scottish Government to get a move on in updating its guidelines."

The spokesman agreed that there had been changes made by councillors between the original draft of the document and the final version.

Mr Russell will meanwhile make his recommendation to Scottish ministers on the Baillie scheme after weighing up the evidence put to him at the inquiry and on his visits to the site.

In his submission, Mr Innes claims there are no significant adverse impacts to warrant refusing planning consent.

He states: "The evidence at this inquiry has demonstrated that this is an excellent location for a wind farm of this scale within Caithness.

"It is well away from the main tourist destinations and its intervisibility with Dounreay would send a powerful message in relation to the move away from old nuclear technology to modern renewable sources.

"This message would be in line with the image already being promoted of Caithness."

Mr Innes said the biggest benefit of the development will be its contribution towards meeting the Government's renewable energy targets.

He said that he finds it odd that would-be wind farm developers have found it difficult to get their ventures off the ground in the county. "This is surprising given that strategic studies have identified it as having capacity for significant wind-farm development," he said.

Mr Campbell maintained the development would have an unacceptable impact on residents, rare bird life and ancient chambered cairns in the area.

He said: "It would have an overwhelming effect on those closest to it, proposed as it is for a ridgeline in a part of Scotland where any rise in topography is the more pronounced because the landscape itself is so subtle and devoid of stark and prominent features."

Mr Campbell claimed there has been no good reason for the withdrawal of the objection to the scheme from Scottish Natural Heritage and added that the drive for green energy cannot be at the expense of foisting any of these schemes on communities, especially if these schemes were to have an unacceptable impact on them.

He said: "If renewable developments are to command support from the public which has to accommodate them in their communities, they must at least try to achieve environmental acceptability.

"They must not be overbearing, dominant, unacceptably noisy or intrusive to a point where there is predicted a significantly adverse effect on residents.

"Despite much of the current discussion surrounding global warming and climate change, all decisions of this type must follow the law as we find it in the Planning Act."

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

Bookmark this

---