Concerns over ‘industrialisation of Highlands’ after Limekiln wind farm official opening
Community representatives in the west of Caithness have said most residents remain greatly concerned about the “industrialisation of the Highlands” as a result of large-scale energy projects.
Members of Caithness West Community Council noted that the newly opened Limekiln wind farm, just to the south of Reay, had brought economic benefits to some local businesses and welcomed a £540,000 community benefit fund that will be available from 2026.
However, they said they were worried about the “continued rate of energy developments” and were disappointed to learn of plans for a Limekiln battery energy storage system (BESS).
Renewable energy firm Boralex hosted an event on the Limekiln Estate on Friday to officially open the 106 MW wind farm.
Limekiln is the Canadian-based company’s first operational site in the UK and consists of 24 turbines with a maximum blade-tip height of 149.9m.
In recent years there have been fears that villagers could be “encircled by turbines” if all the proposed onshore and offshore developments in the area go ahead.
Community council chairperson Jillian Bundy warned in 2022 that landscapes were being “trashed in pursuit of profit” by developers and landowners.
In a statement issued this week, the community council said it had opposed the construction of Limekiln, “reflecting the views of the majority of local residents”.
It went on: “A 1000-plus-signature petition was presented to the Scottish Parliament and over 400 formal objections were submitted to Highland Council. Local opposition groups and conservation bodies participated in the public inquiries following which consent was granted for Limekiln 2 and Limekiln Extension.
“We remain concerned over the visual impacts and the degradation of wild land. However, we are relieved that, to date, noise and shadow flicker have not been a significant issue.
“The construction phase caused difficulty for residents, particularly the additional traffic volumes on local roads and damage to road surfaces and verges from heavy traffic. We do, however, recognise the economic benefits to some local businesses and are also pleased to acknowledge the efforts of the main contractor, RJ McLeod, in keeping local residents informed and ensuring that existing core paths remained safely accessible during construction.
“Now that Limekiln is operational, it is important that local communities actually benefit from it. We welcome the community benefit fund that will be available from 2026 for the wider Caithness and Sutherland area, and in particular the ring-fenced funding for Caithness West Community Council, the village halls in west Caithness and the parent council for Reay Primary School.
“This funding will have a direct impact in the local area and our community council has already started work on identifying priorities for improvement.
“We are disappointed that there are now plans in place for a BESS at Limekiln and will reflect local opinion in our response to this.
“We are also concerned at the continued rate of energy developments in our local area and the wider Highlands. Over the past five years Caithness West Community Council has been a statutory consultee for upwards of 30 energy development applications, with around 10 more in the pipeline.
“The industrialisation of the Highlands from large-scale energy developments and infrastructure such as pylons and substations is of great concern to most residents.
“Local democracy has effectively been crushed, with planning consultations merely a tick-box exercise which ignores any dissent. This has to change, and we welcome the work undertaken by Councillor Helen Crawford and others to force Highland Council to adequately map the scale and effects of development and to ensure that cumulative impacts are properly addressed in the planning process.”