A councillor who is concerned about the growth of wind farms in Caithness says he is more convinced than ever that the planning system is fundamentally flawed and “profoundly undemocratic”.
Matthew Reiss warns that even if there are hundreds of local objections to a particular proposal the numbers “do not count for anything”, and he insists there is an urgent need for research into the impact of onshore wind projects positioned close to each other.
Now he is awaiting confirmation on whether Scotland’s energy minister Paul Wheelhouse will come to Caithness to assess the issues for himself after the pair had an hour-long Skype meeting.
Councillor Reiss, who represents Thurso and Northwest Caithness on Highland Council, said it had been a cordial discussion in which Mr Wheelhouse stated he was “not averse” to visiting the county.
“There still appears to be no research ongoing into either the good or bad effects of lots of onshore wind farms close together – no research on what effect that has on property values, planning blight, and putting people off considering settling in a rural area,” Councillor Reiss said.
“I think this kind of research is needed urgently, given we’ve got this ongoing depopulation that we’re all desperately trying to reverse.
“Even the most staunch supporters of onshore wind farms would probably hesitate before building a house that’s going to have its main view out onto a line of turbines.
“You have to judge each scheme on its merits but again it’s common sense that, as more and more parts of the county host a wind farm, the potential reduces for new ones. And that’s allied to the fact that there are now applications for turbines over 150 metres tall coming in.
“As we get more, and as the turbine heights increase, in my opinion the buffer zone – the area where a wind farm should not be permitted – should be increased.”
Regarding his virtual meeting with Mr Wheelhouse, Councillor Reiss explained: “I invited the minister to come to the county to assess for himself and he said he was ‘not averse’, so whether he takes it up or not remains to be seen. https://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/planning-system-flawed-in-terms-of-democracy-says-councillor-over-wind-farm-concerns-212901/
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