Nats deny ‘kowtowing’ over wind farm

SNP ministers were yesterday forced to defend the controversial decision to intervene in a planning application backed by the Chinese government – claiming the bid is of ‘national significance’.

Local Government Minister Kevin Stewart insisted there was ‘no connection whatsoever’ between the calling in of plans for the Inch Cape offshore wind farm and Nicola Sturgeon’s tour of China. The First Minister was last week accused of ‘kowtowing’ to the Chinese when her administration stepped in to examine proposals for a substation on the Firth of Forth at Cockenzie, East Lothian.

It came after Miss Sturgeon met representatives of the State Development & Investment Corporation, the parent company of Inch Cape, in Beijing. The decision means SNP ministers will now have the final say over whether to approve the project rather than East Lothian Council.

At Holyrood yesterday, Iain Gray, Labour MSP for East Lothian, challenged Mr Stewart, saying: ‘Can you understand that it looks to my constituents as if you are prepared to ride roughshod over their interests and aspirations to protect the interests and aspirations of a Chinesebacked project which will create not one job in East Lothian?’

Mr Stewart said that the decision had been made as there ‘is an issue here of potential national significance’.

He said he decided to call in the proposal before Miss Sturgeon’s trip, adding: ‘There was no connection whatsoever to the First Minister’s visit to China.’

He said calling in the application did not guarantee that it would be approved.