Concerns over a “missing” document were raised yesterday at the Cairn Duhie
inquiry for a wind farm north of Grantown.
The four-day public inquiry is being held at the town’s Grant Arms Hotel in
the town into the plans for 20 turbines up to 110 metres high at the site.
The Scottish Government has been urged by objectors not to ignore the pleas
of nearly 2,000 people when it comes to making its final decision on the
wind farm planned for eight miles north of the Strathspey capital.
Campaigners claim that the turbines, some as close as 100 yards from the
public road at places, will be the centrepiece of a cumulative curtain of
steel that will embrace the Dava Moor and be visible for many miles in most
directions.
“Do I have this document?” asked the Reporter Dannie Onn, as the Save Our
Dava campaign produced the case they had presented in December 2013 to
Highland Council.
Roy Hewett and Jeannie Munro could not believe that the supplementary
information was not readily to hand on all sides of the chamber as they
took issue with comments made by RES expert engineering witness, Kevin
Martin of Aecom, about the certified strength of the Logie Bridge, which
would be used for the transportation of the turbines in and out of the site.
Mr Martin had told the inquiry being held at the Grant Arms Hotel in
Grantown that there would be no problem with the bridge but the Dava group
contested that.
“It’s a 220-year-old masonry bridge which has never been tested, it’s never
had traffic like this. You expected it to carry 140, 190 tonnes? If the
community lose that bridge it could be terrible for both tourism and the
community.”
Acting for RES, Marcus Trinick QC refuted claims that strobing and shadow
flicker would be a problem, and he was not swayed by fears that travellers
prone to epileptic fits could suffer seizures while caught in between the
sun and the windfarm.
But after the Dava group held up the document which had gone to Highland
Council so long ago, raising all such issues, no-one seemed able to produce
theirs. The Reporter was assured it would be there in his files and Mr
Trinick confirmed there had only been confusion about one other, smaller
document and not the Supplementary Information.
Mr Hewett told the Strathy: “This is utterly ridiculous. All these points
were put to the Highland Council years ago and if they had all been
properly addressed we probably wouldn’t even have to be here this
afternoon, going over it all again.”
The inquiry was due to end today (Thursday). The Reporter carried out a
site visit on Tuesday.
6 Comments
Stop the gravy train · March 21, 2016 at 7:25 pm
Danny Onn, he is the dancing puppet who thinks he knows more about air defence radar than the RAF and consented three turbines in the Bennachie area, which is now being fought in the courts by the MoD at great cost to the public. The man is a disgrace.