A CONTROVERSIAL 22-turbine wind farm in north-west Scotland is set to go ahead after a senior judge backed a decision by Scottish Government Ministers’ to allow the project.
In a judicial review, Lord Colin Boyd upheld consent for the Creag Riabhach Wind Farm on the Altnaharra Estate, Sutherland.
Ministers approved it last October on the basis it would make an important contribution to climate change targets, as well as providing social and economic benefits for local communities.
It is being developed by a private company in partnership with a working estate in Sutherland.
Creag Riabhach Wind Farm director Tim Philpot, welcomed the decision, saying: “We now look forward to delivering a successful project that will not only generate up to 72.6MW of clean, renewable energy, but will also give the communities of the north Highlands region a lasting legacy benefit.”
Pieter Bakker, estate manager and tenant farmer at Altnaharra Estate, added: “My community and the other communities surrounding the estate will benefit significantly from this project, which will provide up to £9 million in inward investment through the community benefit funds, which will be used to support important local projects.
“The economy in Sutherland is fragile and in desperate need of investment, in particular in Altna-harra. We can now take this oppor-tunity to create a sustainable legacy for future generations in the area.”
Boyd did not express a view on the rights or wrongs of the application, but focused on the legality of the decision-making process.
He said: “In my opinion, there is no error of law either in the way in which they [Ministers] reached their decision or expressing their reasons for it. In short the petitioners’ position appears to be that no wind farm development whatsoever should be allowed on designated wild land areas. That may be, but that is a political decision and not one for the courts.”
Billionaire Danish businessman Anders Povlsen, whose Wildland Ltd owns the Ben Loyal, Kinloch, Hope and Melness estates, had challenged the project’s approval.
A company spokesman said: “Let there be no doubt – this development is a substantial incursion into the Wild Land Area between Foinaven, Ben Hee, Arkle, Ben Hope, Ben Loyal and Ben Klibreck – from whose summits this industrial scale development will be highly visible.
“These iconic hills now provide the backdrop to the North Coast 500 and the new tourism businesses that will maintain a sustainable Highland economy for decades to come. Those businesses, and the tourists who support them, are ultimately ill-served by policies that seem to afford little protection to Wild Land areas and National Scenic Areas.”
Mountaineering Scotland also attacked the ruling, saying views from the mountains including Scotland’s most northerly Munro, Ben Hope, would be impacted by the development, with five turbines standing within a Wild Land Area.
CEO David Gibson said there was no need for the development and called for a change in policy: “Wild land areas must get the same absolute protection as National Scenic Areas and National Parks.
“Time is running out for Scotland’s most precious natural asset – its landscape – as more and more wild land is eroded by development.
“There is no need for the Creag Riabhach development – there is already enough operational and con-sented capacity to meet the Scottish Government’s generation target.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel