WATCH: Cllr Helen Crawford issues rallying call as Highland community councils back unified statement opposing large scale energy plans
A powerful rallying call from Cllr Helen Crawford brought Saturday’s landmark convention to a close, as more than 50 community councils stood united in support of a joint statement opposing the spread of major infrastructure projects across the Highlands.
It was standing room only in Beauly at the Phipps Hall, as over 300 attended in person, with close to 50 connecting via online video feed.
Cllr Crawford, who represents the Aird and Loch Ness ward, called on attendees to show their strength as a collective voice, asking for a show of hands in support of a three-part call to MSPs and MPs to speak for them on a national level.
“We have used our best endeavours to ensure that our statement has been spoken to by a number of community councils,” she told the room. “This is something we have from today that we can say to our elected members, our MSPs, our MPs — take that to Scottish Government, take that to the UK Government, and crack on.”
The unanimous show of hands at the close endorsed a statement that condemned what it called the “unjust and unnecessary industrialisation” of the Highlands, citing a lack of consultation, democratic oversight and long-term benefit for local communities.
In full, the unified statement read: “This convention supported by over 50 community councils, collectively representing over 72,000 residents within the Highland Council area:
“Recognises the impact of climate change on our planet but opposes an unjust and unnecessary industrialisation of The Highlands.
“Calls for our elected members to urgently support and protect our communities at national level, given that community consultation is inadequate and local democracy is being overridden, with decisions made by Community Councils and Highland Council consistently disregarded by the Scottish Government.
“Calls upon the Scottish Government to undertake a planning inquiry commission to address the whole cumulative impact of all major renewable energy infrastructure developments, including transmission, storage and generation with all ancillary infrastructure on our communities and landscape, rather than the salami sliced approach which has thus far been taken.
“Calls for a pause of all major applications, given the impact upon our communities, which may hasten depopulation in some areas until a clear national energy policy is in place and an economic impact assessment undertaken given that tourism is currently the backbone of The Highland economy.”
