Scottish Government must ‘rural proof’ policy amid lack of communication concern
A ban on the installation of wood burning stoves in new-build properties has sparked calls for government policies to be ‘rural proofed’ as organisations slammed poor communication from the Scottish Government.
New regulations mean ‘climate friendly heating systems’ must be used in any home where the building warrant was applied for aer April. The move will see current technology such as gas boilers banned in favour of systems such as ground source heat pumps.
The news sparked outrage on social media.
Caroline Millar, sector lead of Scottish Agri-tourism said: “While we recognise the need for sustainable and renewable forms of heat, the implementation of this new legislation and its implications for both home owners and tourism owners could have been communicated much more eectively.
“Since the announcement there has been clarification that wood burning stoves will be permitted for back up to an electricbased energy system, but the interpretation of this will be down
to local authorities.
“A percentage of the environmental impact of using wood in fuel is the transport element and so we would like more detail on the data for small volume use of fallen trees on farm for personal and small business use.
“This does seem like another policy which will impact rural Scotland much more than urban Scotland and it feels increasingly like the impact of policies on rural businesses are not thought through or discussed in advance.”
The sentiment was echoed Scottish Land and Estates (SLE).
Anna Gardiner, SLE policy adviser said: “For many people living in Scotland’s rural communities, wood burners are the cheapest, most ecient way to warm their homes because of a ready supply of local timber. The gas grid present in cities such as Edinburgh and Glasgow does not exist in many rural settings.
“We do not believe a ban on installing wood-burning stoves in new rural homes is suitable at present.