December 11, 2007
Letters, Scotland

Letters page

Sir, – Lewis Wind Power (aka Amec/British Energy) seems to think that repetition of its discredited economic arguments regarding its proposal to industrialise the landscape of Lewis with wind turbines will result eventually in the miracle of making these arguments true.

The people of Lewis have long since accepted the derisory nature of these bogus claims. Altogether, 11,396 people have made representations to the Scottish Government objecting to the Lewis Wind Power scheme. Fifty-nine individuals have written to express their support.

The final decision on this proposal, which has the potential to be environmentally catastrophic, rests with the government. I sincerely hope that it will see that the Emperor has no clothes.

Colin N. Maclean,

17 South Bragar, Lewis.

SIR, – It was with some astonishment that I read (the Press and Journal, December 5): “The future of a beleaguered Lewis fabrication yard was secured last night after it landed a contract for one of the largest land-based windfarms in Europe.”

The Lewis windfarm is still in planning, has not been consented, nor is there any indication that it ever will be consented.

Last July, over 730 crofters issued a press release telling how they had written to the (then) deputy Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (Seerad) minister, Sarah Boyack, stating their opposition to this project, and how they would oppose any application to make way for this windfarm. Any consent for the windfarm would require taking these crofters to the Land Court in an attempt to force them off their land to make way for the construction. However, the crofters have no intention of giving up their land to this development.

In any case, the projected income to the island from this windfarm (£5.25million, according to Lewis Wind Power official figures) is chicken-feed in comparison with the whopping £22.2million, plus over 700 jobs, that would be injected annually into the Western Isles economy simply by lowering ferry fares, and rescheduling timetables, according to a study for Hitrans which was published in September 2006.

Dina Murray,

49 North Galson, Lewis.

The Press and Journal

11 December 2007


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/12/11/letters-page/