There is an unseemly rush to develop wind power in Scotland’s uplands. Not for the first time, the beauty of our countryside is being damaged to serve the public policy needs of the moment. The scale of change ahead to our landscapes is significant and the pace of change unprecedented: but this is not yet widely appreciated.
We are close to a tipping point, beyond which there will be much more visibility of wind power schemes that are approved but not yet constructed, and there is a big flow of proposals, either at application or being planned. If the present unbridled policy for on-shore wind power development continues, the outcome will be to transform Scotland’s great scenic beauty for the worse – much worse.
The procedures for protecting our landscapes are not working; the targets for delivery of renewables power continue increase with no known upper limit; the longer-term implications are not being addressed; and, as in previous bids through public policy to exploit our hills, care for their beauty and character is at the bottom of the pile of considerations.
Exploitation of our countryside for wind power is truly a soft option, and we need to change direction now, to use less power, and to shift to other less damaging forms of generating renewable power – read on.
Author – John W Mackay
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