Crofters launch last-ditch bid to stop huge wind farm

Island communities at risk of losing rights to the land for 70 years

IT’S a David and Goliath-style battle that has dominated their lives for nearly a decade.

Now, a group of islanders locked in a fight with an energy giant say a pending court decision is the ‘last chance’ for the community.

Three townships on the Isle of Lewis are battling plans by French firm EDF to build a 36-turbine wind farm – enough to power 135,000 homes.

If the development near Stornoway goes ahead, tenant crofters will lose rights to the land for 70 years.

They want to build their own smaller, community wind farm on part of the site, with all profits going back into the local area. A public consultation begins today. Campaign leader Roddy Cunningham said: ‘All these energy companies want to do is feed their shareholders – we only want to feed our children. As part of the deal with EDF the community would receive £900,000 every year. But based on the output of another community wind farm on the island, we could earn £5million a year with our own wind farm. We are not against development but it’s in the long-term interest of the people of Stornoway that all money generated from our land stays in the community. This consultation is our last chance saloon.’

EDF and its business partner, engineering firm Amec Foster Wheeler, were handed the lease in 2003 by landowners The Stornoway Trust.

In 2012, they gained planning permission to construct a wind farm under the joint company name Lewis Wind Power (LWP). It has authority to build 36 turbines around Stornoway.

LWP said the plans would offer crofters the chance to buy 20 per cent of the farm at a later date.

But those in the area have said that the projected £40million to £50million retrospective ‘buy in’ rate would not be affordable.

Crofters also claim they were not made fully aware of the project’s scale. They have 28 days to object to the Scottish Land Court.

Stornoway Trust factor Iain MacIver said: ‘The interest of the crofters has not been ignored, we have simply done our best for the wider community.’

A spokesman for EDF said: ‘The Land Court will make sure the crofters on the Stornoway wind farm land get a fair deal in respect of the income they will receive in return for having wind farm infrastructure on their land.’