Voe construction compound approved, despite more than 200 objections

A temporary construction compound at Voe for the Viking Energy windfarm has been approved at a meeting of the planning committee this afternoon.

That came despite an objection from Sustainable Shetland, backed up by a petition signed by more than 200 people who were against the construction of the 200m by 200m compound.

Councillor Moraig Lyall was firmly against the proposal, and she asked the council’s planning representatives what the positive contribution would be to the area by approving the development.

But council convener Malcolm Bell said that the application, which was only being considered by the SIC planning committee because the council owned the land in question, was a “relatively straight-forward” one.

He added that the only thing that made the application “remarkable in some people’s eyes” was because it was related to the Viking Energy project.

Mr Bell said that he was “very happy to move” the application, which councillor Andrea Manson seconded.

Emma Macdonald, who chairs the planning committee, said the Viking project “is going to happen, and we need to make sure it happens as quickly and safely as possible”.

She added that the committee “can’t change decisions that have been made in the past”.

But Ms Lyall, who decided against lodging a motion against the application, said that she wanted to make clear that she was “not in agreement” with the planning committee’s decision.