Scotland should copy England and let local people veto industrial wind turbines
Westminster says that “more onshore wind development is not right for England” and the usual rent seekers and subsidy suckers hurt le out from their bunkers with the usual tedious histrionics and platitudes.
The UK government has allowed communities a veto on whether or not they want to have industrial wind turbines speared into their environment and should be applauded for doing so. Most reasonable people would welcome such local empowerment.
The Scottish Government refuses to afford its citizens the same powers, preferring to encourage the de struction of some of the world’ s finest landscapes with what can only be described as obscene numbers and sizes of industrial hardware masquerading as a reliable energy source. Some of the monsters currently proposed are more than 200 metres tall!
Offshore-sized turbines are now coming on shore and would dwarf the127m Glasgow Tower. The Scottish Government has confirmed that there is no turbine height limit for onshore turbines.
Claire Mack, Scottish Renewables CEO, described the UK government’s position towards on shore wind as “wrongheaded”.
She would, wouldn’t she? She wants the paying members of the trade association she leads to remain so and by continuing to take money from the consumer by way of subsidies and increasing their profits, they probably will.
It is all about self-preser vation. The same goes for Emma Pinchb eck, Renewableuk’s executive director, who also holds out the begging bowl to UK electricity bill payers.
Until Scottish com muni ties have the final say on whether or not they want to ‘host’ industrial wind development, such words from people like Mack and Pinchbeck appear to be dismissive of local democracy and concerns. Last week, in First Minister’s Questions, Nicola Sturgeon said: “Protection of our natural environment is such a priority.”
Unfortunately the camera angle on television did not allow sight of whether she had her fingers firmly crossed behind her back when she said it.
LYNDSEY WARD Darach Brae, Beauly