The convener of the Environment, Rural Affairs and Climate Committee has blasted his local council for dragging its feet on planning applications for onshore wind farms, calling it “a leading and shameful example” and part of a “disgusting coalition” against renewables projects.
Rob Gibson, the SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, attacked Highland Council in an interview with Holyrood on the Government’s renewables targets, saying: “There seem to be great qualms from individual councillors and officials who do not recognise the climate change imperative as strongly as they should.” Gibson, whose comments were directed at local authorities across Scotland, added: “My own council in Highland is a leading and shameful example.” Outlining the obstacles to the Scottish Government’s goal of producing 100 per cent of domestic electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2020, Gibson said: “I’m particularly concerned about the issues that were raised in the Energy Committee’s report about our planning system.
“It’s not going with the thrust of Government policy in many council areas, where onshore wind farms in particular don’t just fall prey to gross misinformation from objectors – gross misinformation – but also councils that are not prepared to face up to their climate change responsibilities.” Responding to a series of recent stories in the media questioning the ability of the Government to meet its targets, Gibson also had harsh words for the media.
“It’s not a question at all about them being unrealistic. It’s political opposition to the Government’s ambition and it’s a disgusting coalition of newspapers, the BBC and some very ill-informed individuals who are extremely economical with the truth,” he said.
“People are making stories about folk being compensated because they can’t get electricity into the grid, which is just another in a whole string of negative stories that are blown out of proportion, like the long lens photographs that newspapers use to try and pretend that wind farms are close to buildings. It’s a really badly skewed debate that’s taking place.
“We have a media which is not seeing the big picture of climate change and Scotland’s huge ability to benefit from the creation of green energy.”
Responding to Gibson’s comments, Councillor Ian Ross, chairman of the Planning, Environment and Development Committee of Highland Council, said: “Highland Council was one of the first councils to produce an ambitious and comprehensive strategy for renewable. It is a council which established a Sustainable Development committee in the early part of last decade and has consistently promoted the sustainability agenda. We are a council actively introducing renewables in our own buildings – including wind turbines and biomass.
“The council is currently in the late stage of renewing its spatial strategy for onshore windfarms and is going out to consultation on a supplementary guidance for small-scale wind turbines. It should also be noted that there has been a large number of wind farm developments across Highlands and this makes a significant contribution to Scotland’s renewable targets.
“As of August 2011 we have 19 operating wind farms in the Highlands with 480.5MW of installed capacity and 16 more approved or under construction providing a further 552.7MW of installed capacity. At August 2011 there were a further 54 which had been submitted or were seeking a scoping opinion and 2 under appeal.”
Paris Gourtsoyannis
Paris joined Holyrood in September 2011, and became education correspondent in May 2012. Born in Canada into a Greek family, and raised in Belgium, he came to Scotland in 2005 to study at the University of Edinburgh, where he was involved with award-winning student publication The Journal. Before working at Holyrood, Paris contributed to the Edinburgh Evening News, the Guardian and Guardian Local, and interned at think-tank Demos. His beat takes in all areas of Scotland's education and skills sector, including early years, adult learning, and employability...
Perhaps Mr. Gibson needs a lesson on Democracy. From his intermerate language on Saturday to those lobbying the SNP Conference he certainly needs a lesson in good manners. Local councillors are representive of local people. Unlike MSPs with party political allegiences many are independent and live within the communities that they serve. To criticize them speaking up for the people shows more his shortcomings than theirs! He obviously suffers illusions of grandeur.
This is a fairly offensive diatribe by Mr Gibson. He should look at his own misinformation to the viability of wind farms. The local councils should work in the interests of the people who elect them – as should MSPs. If the local planning authorities are 'dragging its' feet' over planning applications for wind farms Mr Gibson should ask himself why. If there were no objections by the electorate there would be nothing to stop such applications being approved. It would appear that the Highland Council are doing what they are supposed to and listening to the electorate – I suggest Mr Gibson should do the same. His wages are paid by the people who vote and he should remember that. There is a growing swell of independent experts lining up to add their voice to condemn the nonsense that is wind power.