Chamber and committees

Elinor Ross submission of 11 June 2021

PE1864/KK - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms

I agree with the petition for these reasons:

I don’t understand why there should be any difference in how windfarm applications are dealt with in Scotland and England. The current differences seem to be more favourable to developments in Scotland creating an imbalance of wind developments across the UK. This has led to many more developments in the least densely populated part of the country, a long way from the main population centres. This does not make sense from any practical point of view, particularly the distances that the power then must be transmitted, the losses involved and the additional infrastructure required. This should not be allowed to happen.

I think that where there are clusters of existing developments and continuing further applications, particularly in remote areas, the threat of depopulation is great. This will not be immediate but will become apparent over the next 20-30 years as existing residents die or move on, and no-one will replace them. In remoteScotland, many communities depend on regular new residents to continue to thrive. Most of these people chose to move or retire to these remote locations because of the beauty and tranquillity of the surroundings, and they have the luxury of being able to choose anywhere in the country. They are unlikely to choose a location where many wind turbines exist, often in earshot, full view and at close range. Action needs to be taken so that the voice of these local communities is given the weight it deserves to allow Scotland to maintain its remote communities.

The current planning process feels weighted towards the developer – a true case of David vs Goliath. The developer has the luxuries of time, money, and huge professional resources against the voice of local communities who depend on fund-raising and often whatever professional help is locally available, on top of the other employment and responsibilities they have. Becoming involved in community groups looking at windfarm applications is a huge step for many people and the time taken to organise a response to a windfarm application should not be underestimated. The Environment Impact Assessment presented by the developer can run to many thousands of pages and drawings, which must be read and often reread after revision, while attempting to ensure that the best light in which the developer has naturally presented the application is not overlooking something which might present a problem. Also, any volunteers might be expected to stand up in front of developers and their vastly experienced professional advisers and legal teams to express and defend their objections. This is a huge negative for people who might not feel confident in such a situation. Having professional representation and advice would help to ameliorate the burden of this, allowing their views still to be heard and expressed without feeling that their ‘performance’ in such a situation could influence the outcome.

Agree to consider the issues raised in the petition and why people feel that they need to have raised this petition in order to have their views heard.