24 Mar 2025
We wanted to highlight a letter that appeared in The Scotsman over the weekend, which raises some important points with regards to local democracy in wind farm development.
Community voices should play a central role in the planning process for wind farm developments, and any steps to remove that, or lessen it, is concerning. The government should be empowering communities to have a greater influence on wind farm proposals and meaningful consultation between local residents, developers, and decision-makers should be strengthened, not diminished.
Unfortunately, the new Scottish Government consultation on Electricity Infrastructure Consenting appears to be a step in the wrong direction, prioritising the drive for net zero over local democracy.
Letter (available here)
The outcome of the Scottish Government’s consultation on Electricity Infrastructure Consenting in Scotland left many like me somewhat bemused: it had an ‘eau de parallel universe’ quality once inhaled.
Numerous community groups and individuals stated very clear disagreement with the principles of the policy objectives, and presented cogent arguments that insufficient weighting was given to the rights and needs of communities. The disregard for communities appears blatant: the message seems to be that the collective voice of local democracy is something to be ‘unhitched’, not harnessed.
To illustrate a snapshot of this indifference, let’s take the issue of public inquiries for onshore wind farm planning applications. There was a majority disagreement on the proposed ‘examination’ process to replace the public inquiry process which is currently automatically triggered if a council objects.
Instead of embracing the option of supporting communities to deal with public inquiries, the option has been completely removed! The Scottish Government has single-handedly decided to disregard the consultation responses, and moved to take forward the new reporter-led proposal. They can dress it up how they like. It’s still a frog in a blender.
Would the Scottish Government like to advise communities clearly and honestly on what exactly they wish them to do? People are very tired of both witnessing and engaging with the increasingly Sisyphean effort involved in responding to consultations (only to be ignored).
Perhaps we should all “trip the light fandango” off in search of other lands where the exercise of local democracy is a tolerable and valued endeavour? Failing that, those prudent savers with means might be best to focus on investing their dwindling savings in Scotland’s “leading renewables sector” and get in bed with the Deil himsel’.
Mary Howley, Dunoon, Argyll & Bute
Read the letter in The Scotsman here: https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/letters/readers-letters-scottish-government-is-riding-roughshod-over-rights-of-communities-5046018