The article about the Scottish government’s rejection of a windfarm
application near Kirkconnel described how a windfarm that was supported by
the local community was turned down (The wind farm investment that is set
to make the Duke of Buccleuch even richer, News, March 15).
The overwhelming reasons were based on the grounds of visual disturbance to
the area.
I’ve skimmed through the planning documents and there was a lengthy
consideration of visual matters and maybe the Scottish Government made the
right decision although the locals supported the application and it would
have generated a local income of around £500,000 per year to help local
regeneration.
It is not clear that there was any competition between it and a nearby, and
more recent, application for another windfarm on the Duke of Buccleuch’s
property.
This second windfarm is quite a distance from the first and I would think
the notion of “either or” is imaginary. However, that’s not the important
point. On one hand we have a private landowner with, because of his
inherited position, 240,000 acres of land worth around £1bn and a personal
wealth of around £100m (according to the Sunday Times Rich List) able to
get richer from windfarms (and mining, forestry, agriculture and property).
In contrast, his neighbours in Sanquhar and surrounds inherited an area of
multiple deprivation.
I hope this gross inequality will come to an end under an independent
Scotland. In the meantime perhaps the Duke will, in defence of his
privileged position, sign over any windfarm profits to the local community.
Given his wealth, he probably won’t even notice the difference.
David Mellor
Lochwinnoch
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