Campaigners from the Highlands and across Scotland, are calling for the Scottish Government to increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore wind farms.
One of those calls is in the form of a petition being heard by a Scottish Parliament committee today.
The petition (PE1864) calls for the Scottish Government to raise the size threshold, set at 50MW, over which decisions over planning are made by the Scottish Government’s Consent Unit, rather than the Local Planning Authority.
The Scottish Parliament have asked the Scottish Government to explore changing the threshold, and it is, in fact, now consulting on it.
For those behind the petition, the threshold is not the only issue. Aileen Jackson, its creator on behalf of Scotland Against Spin, pointed out that it also calls for the ‘ensuring of local support’ for a project before consent is given but this has not yet been addressed.
“There is no point,” she said, “in raising the 50MW threshold if the views and wishes of communities can still be ignored.”
“Finally, we call for professional support. Communities must be given the funding to hire their own experts to challenge the technical claims made by developers.”
Petition PE1864 has been live for almost five years. “After five years,” Jackson said, “the Scottish Government has finally agreed to consider raising the 50MW threshold (only because the time is right for them) but has ignored the other requests made in the petition which have been supported by this Committee.”
Andrew Robinson from [Skye Windfarm Information Group](https://www.heraldscotland.com/…/25255598…/…) backed the petition, saying: “Giving local authorities more say in bigger projects is a very good idea, particularly seeing as local authorities seem to be waking up to the fact that we have a ridiculous amount of energy proposals for the Highlands.”
Robinson also expressed concern that it was becoming more difficult for communities to have a say. “For instance, there is a move to make people object to the Energy Consents Unit through a portal, rather than by email. It seems to be designed to make it harder for communities to have a voice.”
Robinson also observed a huge “inequity” between the communities who are against the windfarms and the developers. “The costs to fight a legal battle are huge. The last public inquiry on Skye cost us £25,000 and emptied the coffers of Skye Windfarm Information Group.”
PE1864 is not the only petition to touch on community voice in recent times. Another, PE2075, heard by the committee earlier this year called for the Scottish Parliament to “urge the Scottish Government to prioritise local participation in planning decisions affecting their area”.
Lynn Parker, chair of the Dunbeath and Berriedale Community Say No to [Pylons](https://www.heraldscotland.com/…/25629347.a…/…) Action Group, said “In our corner of the world, we aren’t just facing one wind farm; we are facing a relentless, overlapping siege of turbines, substations, and pylon lines. This ‘cumulative impact’ is not just a line in a planning report—it is the reality we live with every day.”
“The current system is rigged against us. We are often faced with multi-billion-pound developers who arrive with teams of elite lawyers and consultants. When a community stands up to object, it is a ‘David vs. Goliath’ battle where Goliath has all the legal aid.”
Josh Doble, director of policy for Community Land Scotland, said: “There are two key issues. One is the lack of democracy or lack of voice about decision making, which is principally a planning issue. And the second is what we would call economic extraction. Developments are happening, but is the economic and social benefit really being felt at the community level, at the local level, where they are happening?”
He observed:“One key problem is there appears to be little strategic planning, because so many of the decisions now on projects go to the energy consents unit/central government. The chance for a local authority to shape development or to think strategically is taken away, and that’s combined with the fact that the grid seems to be full and new projects don’t seem to be coming online till around 2035.
“In this context it is perhaps not surprising that communities raise issues because they think, ‘Scotland is producing so much electricity already. Why isn’t there a strategic thought about where the generation needs to happen or when it needs to happen and whether it is going to be lined up with the grid?’” https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25840142.community-movement-calling-say-onshore-wind/?fbclid=IwY2xjawP5Or5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeNeIFzXn-vGmAn-3GsWzToFcEfNUUGEFzuSdWc3sTszH5bnlobGQN0TXAUms_aem_-t1Md69rZkP4SSTRVPWyrg
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