Dates and venues for public meetings on windfarm announced

The council has announced dates and venues for a series of public meetings on the proposed Viking Energy windfarm, which are due to be chaired by deputy chief executive Hazel Sutherland.

The meetings were called for by councillors in July prior to their holding a vote on the controversial scheme as a planning authority in defiance of advice from head of legal Jan Riise that they faced an “irreconcilable conflict of interest” because of their dual role as trustees of Shetland Charitable Trust, a 45 per cent shareholder in the windfarm.

That vote, at a Full Council meeting, will be the basis of the council’s recommendation to Scottish ministers, which it must make as one of four statutory consultees on the project.

Three of the other statutory consultees, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have already objected either wholly or in part to the windfarm. Were the council to follow suit, a public inquiry would automatically be triggered.

The meetings are to be held on Monday 28th September at Brae Public Hall at 6.30pm, Tuesday 29th September at Aith Public Hall, Wednesday 30th September at Dunrossness Public Hall and Thursday 1st October at the Town Hall in Lerwick.

A spokesman said: “All members of the public are welcome to attend these meetings. Views expressed at the meetings will form part of the council’s deliberations in determining the council’s response.”