Residential amenity (Rosa Steppanova)

An application for a windfarm near Spittal in Caithness, consisting of 70 turbines 100m high has recently been refused planning permission by Scottish ministers following a public local inquiry.

One of the reasons for refusal was the close proximity of turbines (between one and two kilometres) from occupied dwellings.

“Scottish Ministers recognise that residential amenity is a material consideration in determining large scale wind farm applications and agree with the reporter’s finings that there would likely be an adverse impact on a number of properties within close proximity of the site.” The full report can be found at: www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk

The planned Viking Energy windfarm proposes to site a large number of 145m tall turbines within less than two kilometres from occupied dwellings, yet absolutely no consideration to the residential amenity of the affected individuals was given by Scottish ministers in this case.

Perhaps somebody can enlighten me, but I can see no difference between residential amenity in Shetland and Caithness, apart from the fact that Caithness is an SNP constituency and future votes are at stake, while this is not the case in Shetland and Shetland residents can therefore be treated as second class citizens by Salmond’s government.

I trust the new as well as the old trustees of Shetland Charitable Trust will bear this striking inconsistency in mind and keep the purse strings tightly drawn when Viking Energy asks them once more to part with £6.3 million of our money on 28th June. I sincerely hope trustees are going to demand concrete and binding assurances from VE that the residential amenity of

Shetlanders will be valued just as highly as that of their fellow human beings in Caithness and no turbines will be placed within less than two kilometres from occupied dwellings – even if this should entail a new/revised planning application for the windfarm.

Rosa Steppanova
Lea Gardens,
Tresta.