Land Court hearing begins on Viking Energy windfarm
Objections have been made by crofters to the windfarm plans under section 19A of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993.
According to the act the applicant must prove that the development is for a reasonable purpose and the scheme gives fair recompense to each member of the crofting community affected, and that the crofting community would be likely to benefit financially.
Lord Minginish, the court’s chairman, is heading the hearing.
Viking Energy is leading the evidence. Evidence this afternoon was on windfarms and tourism as well as peatbog restoration and plans for breeding birds in the area.
The case continues this week with the hearing resuming on Tuesday morning.
• More in Friday’s Shetland Times.
David Spence
Is this not a classic case of a minority wanting to profit at the cost of the majority and the fact that the people of Shetland, as a whole, will not benefit at all. Typical forethought, short term thinking to hell with the long term consequences as long as those minority of people line their pockets.
I also anticipate that SSE, will increase their charges for providing electricity to the people of Shetland, despite the fact, if Viking Energy get their way, they are producing electricity with the minimum of cost?
The people of Shetland, whether for or against the Viking Energy Wind Farm, will pay dearly for years to come, and where any benefit there is will be none existing.
This whole fiasco is based on a minority and not for the greater good for the people of Shetland.
Why is tidal or wave energy not being looked into, where their impact on the environment is less evasive? I suspect, of all the alternative new energy supplies, wind is the cheapest????
Questions need to be answered, costs increasing immensely, maintenance costs per year etc etc.
William dawson
I thought if Viking energy missed a trick with their proposal for wind energy for the people of Shetland . I said at the time if Viking energy offered the households in shetland free electricity there would not have many objectors to erecting their wind. Turbines. Let the wind turbine companies learn if you want something you got to give something . Enough said Just a small effort for a big project Bill dawson
David Spence
Here is an interesting documentary regarding wind energy and the affects on the local community.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55-jBCjtJ88
Allen Fraser
70 of the 103 Viking Energy 145 metre (475 feet) tall industrial machines will be less than the recommended 2000 meters from dwelling houses, some will be as close as 1000 metres.
Over the last few years there is worldwide concern and mounting evidence on health disorders caused by operating these massive machines so close to people and animals.
Despite this the public health deniers of Shetland Islands Council and Shetland Charitable Trust demonstrate time and time again that they just don’t care.