Chris Townsend: 'great day for Cairngorms'
Campaigners have welcomed a decision by a power company not to push for a controversial windfarm in the Highlands.
Outdoors writer and campaigner Chris Townsend said it was the final nail in the coffin for the proposals to build the turbines at Allt Duine in the Monadhliath Mountains.
Mr Townsend and fellow Save Monadhliath Mountains members welcomed the decision by RWE Innogy not to challenge the Scottish Government decision to reject the section 36 application for 31 turbines at the very edge of the Cairngorms national park.
A decision was made 12 weeks ago by Deputy First Minister John Swinney, who is also Cabinet Secretary for finance, constitution and the economy.
Chris Townsend said: “After five years, the thousands of individuals and organisations who support the Save Monadhliath Mountains campaign are delighted that German-owned RWE Innogy has seen sense and sided with the overwhelming opinion against the scheme.
The proposed site of the Allt Duine windfarm. Photo: Chris Townsend
“This is the final nail in the Allt Duine windfarm coffin and a great day for the internationally acclaimed Cairngorms national park and the safeguarded wild land of the Monadhliath Mountains.”
The Allt Duine application was opposed by all the statutory consultees: Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Highland Council and the Kincraig and Vicinity Community Council.
In January 2015, 73 per cent of the local population voted against the proposal. Other objectors include the Scottish Campaign for National Parks, John Muir Trust, the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society, Ramblers Scotland and the Glenfeshie, Kinrara and Pitmain estates.
RWE Innogy and the host estates Balavil, Dunachton, Alvie and Dalraddy, 23 per cent of the local community, supported the application.
Save Monadhliath Mountains said the turbines would be visible from 25,790ha (63,728 acres) of the Cairngorms national park, including high points such as the Ptarmigan Restaurant and popular munros within the park including Ben MacDui, Cairn Gorm and Braeriach.
The edge of the proposed Allt Duine site lay 400m from the Cairngorms national park boundary, with the first turbine just 900m away and all the turbines wholly within the Monadhliath wild land area.
Campaigners said all the associated infrastructure would have been in the Cairngorms national park itself, including 7.5km (4½ miles) of new road, up to 15m in width, cut into the park’s hills; kilometres of cabling; a cement batching plant and site reception to the temporary construction compound.
Voice of Reason
30 October 2015So where do you want energy to come from?
Nuclear and coal!
GeorgeH
30 October 2015Excellent news! Well done Chris.
REMINDER!
Some recent opinion polls
1 YouGov poll finds 75% back wild land protection and only 6% oppose. "Wild land should be given special protection from inappropriate development including wind farms."
91% of Scottish residents believe it important to retain wild places
2 Should Munros and Corbetts be protected from wind farm development?
90% YES 10% NO
3 Brown Muir Wind farm, just South of Elgin
2,102 Objections 10 Support
4 Should further large scale wind farms be sited in Highland Perthshire?
91% NO 9% Yes
5 Dershalloch Wind farm, East of Straiton
4,723 Objections 23 Support
6 Corlic Hill 703 Objections 1 Support
Intelligent Scots have seen through the wind industry propaganda. They want no more environmental devastation to line the pockets of rich landowners!
Kev glossop
30 October 2015Well done Chris
stigofthenest
30 October 2015I live in Shropshire and whenever I travel down to mid Wales it breaks my heart to see so much wild land scarred by turbines and their associated infrastructure. The Cambrian mountains came close to being declared a national park a few decades ago but now the turbines are there the opportunity is gone. Scotland doesn't need wind turbines. With an investment in tidal and H.E. we could be self sufficient. In saying that..id take a nuclear plant over an equivalent power output of whirlygigs anyday.
Colin Agnew
03 November 2015As I've said before , all upland areas should be kept free of windfarms, Yorkshire water is not replacing the wind turbines round one of its reservoirs because it has worked out :
1) They dont have the longevity promised
2) They were expensive to maintain
3) they didnt make enough profit from them despite guaranteed inflated prices.
4)The replacement costs with new higher tech turbines were prohibitive
5) They wouldnt be able to produce enough electricity regularly enough to make it worth their while.
The carbon footprint for windfarms is much larger than we are told, and their sustainability and longevity are questionable to say the least.
Revamping Scotlands massive Hydro resources would be in all our interests but will the privatised energy companies interested in short termism for their shareholders do this?