Highland Council to complete full meeting on September 30 after anger greeted adjournment that delayed debate on giving the public greater clarity on major north of Scotland energy infrastructure plans
Highland Council has acted swiftly to set a new date to resume its full council meeting after public anger greeted Thursday evening’s adjournment.
After more than nine hours of debate, ending just before 7pm, members voted by 30-20 in favour of halting proceedings with a number of agenda matters still to be discussed and settled.
Included in those was a motion by councillor Helen Crawford pushing for the local authority to act to give members of the public greater clarity on planning applications for major energy infrastructure projects.
After she garnered the requisite support of 19 fellow councillors today, Cllr Crawford lodged a notice with the council’s head of legal and governance to requisition a new meeting within 14 days.
The council has set a new date for September 30 at 2pm.
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Cllr Crawford, who says she has cross-party support, wants the plethora of windfarm, substation, super-pylon line and battery farm proposals and existing developments to be clearly mapped in one database available to all.
At the heart of her call is concerns that the piecemeal nature of planning applications means the public are not being given the full context and scale of energy giant SSE’s £20 billion investment in upgrading the electricity network across northern Scotland.
There has been an outpouring of concern over the potentially destructive nature of these developments in obliterating scenery, natural habitats and residents’ quality of life.
Cllr Crawford’s motion also calls for special training to be given to community representatives in energy infrastructure planning and for an end to ‘salami-slicing’ in planning - the practice whereby larger developments are pursued in a series of smaller scale applications.
There was immediate outrage among opponents of SSEN’s plans after Thursday’s meeting was adjourned.
Highlander Mary Young, a supporter of the protest group Communities B4 Power Companies, felt the move was “disrespectful” to the people, herself included, who had remotely watched the entire debate in wait for Cllr Crawford’s motion, as well as others gathered outside the meeting.
Lynn Parker also summed up the sentiments of a good number on the social media site, saying: “It was a disgrace. I can’t help but feel it was purposely done.”
Cllr Crawford said she “appreciated the strength of feeling very much” and was delighted that the new date had now been set for September 30.
Convener of the Council Cllr Bill Lobban said: “The first available practical date has been indicated to members and the meeting of The Highland Council will take place on Monday September 30, 2024 at 2pm in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness.”
