Contempt for our rural areas
THE Minister for Energy and the Environment, Gillian Martin, gave a statement: Vision for Scotland’s Future Energy System, on September 28 to an almost-empty Holyrood debating chamber. When asked by Conservative MSP Tess White MSP if new energy infrastructure projects must always be completed with the consent of residents, the minister replied that it was in the interests of developers to engage with communities early.
This is a classic “non-answer” answer. From the perspective of an affected community, when a developer plans to build a massive wind farm or pylon line in the local area, engagement of any type is only meaningful if local opinion changes anything. If developers and the Scottish Government disregard the views of local residents, and these projects go ahead regardless, the timing of the engagement is irrelevant.
Looking back, future generations will be aghast at the disdain shown to those living in rural areas and appalled by the damage inflicted on the landscape in Scotland, all in the name of Net Zero.
K Coltart, Dumfriesshire.
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