It is the battle of Shepherd’s Rig. On the one side: campaigners from a small rural community, walkers, mountaineers, and the local council. On the other: a windfarm giant, supporters of renewable energy, and, it turns out, the Scottish Government. The battle was fought and won, then fought and lost, and the question now is: what next?
The Herald reported the latest twist in the battle this week. For years, some of the residents of the village of Carsphrain in Dumfries and Galloway have been fighting plans for 17 wind turbines near their community. The local community council said there would be an enormous detrimental effect on the residents and Mountaineering Scotland also objected, saying there was a danger of the Southern Upland Way turning into the Southern Wind Farm Way.
For a while, it seemed like the campaigners were winning. Dumfries and Galloway Council objected to the plans, describing them as ill-conceived. The Scottish Government’s reporter, to whom developers can appeal, also refused to give the plan the go-ahead. It looked like the battle had been won.
Then, as one resident put it, the goalposts shifted. The Scottish Government approved the National Planning Framework 4 which requires planners to prioritise wind farms and renewable developments. It meant that the reporters were left with little choice over Shepherd’s Rig and were forced to perform a U-turn. The windfarm will go ahead. A battle thought won has now been lost. Read on: https://www.heraldscotland.com/…/23839626.herald-view…/
0 Comments