Bob Smith, Editor
The Scottish Government has turned down plans for a windfarm on a highly
sensitive Highlands site because the company applying for permission didn’t
exist at the time of the submission.
Opponents of the Rannoch Moor scheme said they highlighted irregularities
in the application 10 months ago.
Campaigners, including the Mountaineering Council of Scotland and the John
Muir Trust welcomed the rejection as ‘not competent’. They said they hoped
there would be no repeat application.
The John Muir Trust said: “The application appears to have mysteriously
transferred to a newly incorporated UK-registered company, Talladh-a
Bheithe Wind Farm Ltd two months after it was submitted in June 2014 by a
shadowy Netherlands-based company, Eventus BV.”
A letter from the Government’s Energy Consents Unit said: “It has come to
the attention of Scottish ministers that the applicant, Talladh-a-Bheithe
Wind Farm Limited was not incorporated under the Companies Act 2006 as a
private company until 28 August 2014.
“Therefore having considered the circumstances of this application and
noting the applicant was not a legal entity at the date the application was
made, Scottish Ministers are returning this application as not competent.”
Talladh-a-Bheithe Wind Farm Ltd, describes itself on its website as ‘a
wholly owned subsidiary of Eventus BV’.
Helen McDade, head of policy for the John Muir Trust, said: “For the past
16 months, we have worked closely with the local Keep Rannoch Wild campaign
and the Mountaineering Council of Scotland to stop this monstrosity in the
heart of Wild Land Area 14, so we are delighted that the scheme has been
deemed not competent.
“The decision will come as a huge relief to many in the local community who
were horrified by the proposal to erect 24 turbines, each 125m high, in an
area famed across the world for the wildness of its landscape and heavily
dependent on tourism.”
“From the start, this was a speculative application by a front company set
up by the landowner of the Talladh-a-Bheithe estate.
“Over the past 16 months it has consumed huge amounts of time, money and
effort by campaign groups and by Perth & Kinross Council. The whole inept
episode further underlines the need for strategic national planning to end
the energy free-for-all.”
MCofS director for landscape and access Dave Gordon said he was delighted
to hear the news.
He said: “Although the decision was based on a specific legal point, which
meant that the application was not competent, many people thought the very
idea of windfarm in such an unspoilt area was incompetent.
“We hope that Rannoch is now free forever from the threat of wind turbines
and does not have to suffer repeated applications, as many communities have.”
The MCofS campaigned against the planning application because of the major
visual impact of such a large scale development, which it argued was not
necessary in order to meet Scottish Government objectives for renewable
energy generation.
If given the go-ahead, it would have affected views from Schiehallion, the
Ben Alder massif, the mountains above Glen Lyon and Loch Tay and some above
the Drumochter Pass. It would even have been visible from the main A82 on
the far side of Rannoch Moor and from Buachaille Etive Mòr beyond, it said.
At the time of the application, MCofS chief executive David Gibson said:
“Any presumed benefit from this development would be far outweighed by the
damage it would do to such a distinctive landscape which is vital not only
to Highland Perthshire’s identity but also to Scotland’s international image.”
A massive campaign against the proposal involved local residents under the
Keep Rannoch Wild banner, the John Muir Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage
and even American novelist Diana Gabaldon, whose Outlander novels were
filmed in the area for a popular television series.
A spokesperson for Talladh-a-Bheithe Wind Farm Ltd said shortly after the
application was submitted: “Our proposals would make a valuable
contribution towards Scottish and UK Government targets for energy from
renewable sources and also provide a range of community benefits.
“Should our proposals be approved, we will also offer the unique
opportunity for community ownership, in addition to a community benefit
fund. We are currently assisting and encouraging the community to explore
ideas as to how to establish a co-operative model with us.
“It is disappointing that inaccurate information regarding the proposals is
being promoted and we would strongly advise local residents to visit the
project website to review the professional assessments and accurate
representations of our plans, and to read about the benefits that they will
bring to the local area.
“We look forward to continuing our relationship with the local community
and key stakeholders to discuss the opportunities for co-ownership and
community benefit in further detail.”
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