Wind farm plans should not be of detriment to area
Spring has well and truly sprung, and it has been good to get out and about across Strathearn.
In the last few weeks, I have had constituency engagements in Crieff, Comrie and St Fillans and I have enjoyed being out and about catching up with locals and business owners.
It was fantastic to pop into the newly-opened Wild Hearth Bakery shop in Comrie. I have been a long-standing supporter of Wild Hearth Bakery and I was thrilled when founder John Castley announced plans to open a physical shop in Comrie.
I wish them every success and I look forward to meeting up with John in the near future at Comrie Primary School to learn more about the development of the Breaducation programme, which was launched in 2020 and has seen pupils following the bread-making process from seed to loaf. I previously caught up with pupils involved with the Breaducation programme not long after I was elected, and I look forward to following their progress in the coming weeks.
I also took the opportunity to catch up with representatives from Comrie and St Fillans Community Councils, regarding various concerns that they wanted to raise with me.
One of the things that has struck me since being elected is just how engaged and vibrant our local community groups are, and arguably no more so than in Strathearn.
I met with Donna Littler, chair of St Fillans Community Council, to discuss their new ‘Local Place Plan’and challenges facing the village.
It is fantastic to see all the positive, good work that the local residents are driving forward in their community.
There are a number of points that I am continuing to engage with stakeholders to try to resolve, including the issue of speeding through the village.
I am aware of concerns regarding early-stage plans for further wind farm developments in Strathearn.
While we need further on and offshore wind farm developments to help us meet our net-zero aspirations, these should not come at the detriment of our local communities.
There are some brilliant renewables developers across Perth and Kinrossshire, many of whom offer a wealth of community benefit to local residents, including substantial energy discount schemes and funding of local community groups.
I am keen to explore what benefit any future renewables developments across Strathearn can bring to the community, as having local buy-in is key to successful projects.
I am very much looking forward to continuing to get out and about during the longer days and attending as many community events as I can over the summer months.
Please do get in touch and let me know if you are involved in any local events.