MSPs are being urged to recognise the value of Scotland’s mountains, and to
protect a vital national asset.
Members of the Scottish Parliament will today receive a leaflet from the
Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) reminding them of the huge
benefits of Scotland’s mountains – and the threat posed by over-provision
of wind farms.
They are being challenged to balance the need for green power with the need
to safeguard a hugely valuable but finite and vulnerable resource.
“To some the term ‘wild land’ just translates as emptiness – something
without any value,” says MCofS Director of Landscape and Access Dave Gordon.
“Scotland’s mountains are very far from being without value: they are among
our greatest assets.
“But our uplands are also incredibly vulnerable.
“Our mountains and wild land are internationally recognised and a major
factor in attracting tourism and supporting rural employment, as well as
being a home for wildlife and key part of our cultural heritage.
“However, Scotland is a small country and the area of the land unaffected
by the visual impact of built development has already shrunk by a third in
less than a decade. The unceasing pressure from wind farm developers on our
mountains threatens to squander a large part of this precious asset within
the next decade.”
The MCofS, which is the representative body for Scottish mountaineers and
hill walkers, with nearly 12,000 members, is calling on MSPs and the
Scottish Government to act for the future by following a five-point plan.
• To ensure proper recognition of the value of wild land and open mountain
landscapes as an essential national asset
• To afford full protection from wind farms and other damaging development
for National Parks, National Scenic Areas, other areas designated for their
landscape or wildlife importance, and Core Areas of Wild Land
• To maintain a very strong presumption against development adjacent to
protected landscapes that impacts on the qualities which make those
landscapes special
• To attach more weight to local decision-making in planning
• To achieve a balanced, planned electricity generation mix and not an
unbalanced over-development of onshore wind
The MCofS is not opposed to wind farms on principle, and has only objected
to 6 per cent of applications.
Dave Gordon added: “It’s in the interests of Scotland and of the energy
industry itself to build wind power stations in the right places, so that
they can be accepted as part of a diverse, long-term and affordable
electricity generation mix.”
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