‘Enough already’: What Highland councillors are being told ahead of crunch energy motion today
CAMPAIGNERS fighting to protect the integrity of Ross-shire’s landscapes and natural habitats have issued an impassioned eleventh-hour appeal to Highland councillors attending crunch meeting today.
A full meeting of Highland Council deferred from an epic sitting earlier this month will include debate on 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.
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.
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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.
Last night, councillors also received an appeal from the Better Cable Route campaign team, which includes input from several community councils in affected areas of Ross-shire.
It states in full:
“Dear Councillor,
“Tomorrow sees Councillor Helen Crawford’s Motion on Major Energy Infrastructure and Community Engagement debated at a meeting of the full Highland Council.
“On behalf of communities across the Highlands, we urge you to back the Motion.
“The Better Cable Route campaign team have collected almost 1000 signatures in only a few days from people who support the Motion. You can access the online Petition here.
Many people have chosen to comment on the Petition. You can read their comments here.
Below are a sample of people’s comments. Their message to you is clear. We’ve had enough of market led, salami sliced energy development and transmission infrastructure that ruins our nature and landscapes, damages the fragile tourism economy, and impacts our wellbeing.
“Back the Motion!
“Thank you,
“The Better Cable Route campaign team”
Comments included by the group include:
"We need to see, in full, the extent of all potential developments. Presenting developments in a piecemeal way is not acceptable."
"Local communities are not being effectively consulted regarding proposed pylon developments."
"I live near the proposed cable route and have no desire to see my views disrupted or listen to the noise from power lines. The local economy relies heavily on tourism and will be severely impacted by this. It’s interesting to note that once the cable route gets to England it goes sub-sea all down the east coast so why can that not happen down the east coast of Scotland?"
"The beautiful landscape of rural Scotland is being destroyed by numerous wind turbine and electricity power line developments etc."
Future generations will never forgive us if these monstrosities are allowed to be built unchecked"
"There is no overarching coherent plan of what infrastructure is needed throughout Scotland. All current plans are piece meal and purely focused on individual companies' self-interests rather than the public/national interests."
"I love the Highlands and cannot bear to think of the beautiful landscape, rare species and wonderful people being torn apart for the benefit of money making energy companies."
"As we see EU countries read the evidence & minimise the risk by undergrounding / undersea so should ours. Why aren’t they??"
"The power companies are out of control and being allowed to proceed with unnecessary and inappropriate infrastructure."
"I don't want our landscape blighted by more pylons."
"I am so concerned about the proliferation of supposedly green energy industrialization and permanent ruination of the landscape and coast."
"Scotland is being over mass industrialised to no benefit to the country or its communities. Quite the contrary."
"The government seem to be lacking a proper umbrella plan for energy in the UK, particularly one that doesn’t involve throwing Scotland under the bus."
"Supportive of the move to renewable energy but totally opposed to the needless destruction of the Scottish environment."
"These [energy] proposals are being forced upon us without due democratic process."
"Why should our beautiful country be ruined to get cheaper power to England."
The meeting is due to resume this afternoon.
