LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME

[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]


Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

Get weekly updates

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Paypal

Donate via Stripe

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

‘We won’t be silenced’ say Lingo campaigners 

Credit:  Fife Today, www.fifetoday.co.uk 29 March 2012 ~~

Campaigners against controversial plans to create a windfarm near St Andrews have defended their right to make public statements on the issue and have pledged to continue their opposition.

The show of defiance by members of STACK – Stop Turbines at Cameron/Kinaldy – follows correspondence from Mark Cummings, director of Edinburgh-based Invicta Public Affairs, asking for details of the group’s governance arrangements and membership.

In an email, he stated his firm was ‘increasingly concerned that your group continues to make anonymous comments in the local media without being willing to reveal who you are or what your agenda is.’

Invicta has been engaged by Welsh-based West Coast Energy, the company behind the Lingo application for five 334-feet (102m) turbines on land north of the B490 between Largoward and Dunino .

STACK was set up last year by concerned local residents and Dr David King, a former chairman of St Andrews Community Council, is its chair and primary spokesman.

Its website, saynotolingo.org.uk, states its aims are to provide support and advice to those concerned about the proposal to develop a windfarm on land on Lingo and South Kinaldy farms and to direct a constructive and informed campaign against it.

Responding to Mr Cummings’ email, STACK allege he is ‘‘well aware of the identity of its chairman and the nature of its agenda, as these have been publicly stated numerous times’’.

Dr King said: ”We will not be bullied by Invicta and West Coast Energy. There is no requirement to disclose the governance, management and membership of STACK.

“Everything we want to say about the Lingo application is posted on our website as it becomes available.

”Supporters of STACK objecting to the proposed windfarm are entitled to their privacy and to respect for their views, however much Mr Cummings may disagree with them.”

In relation to Mr Cummings’ request for a meeting with STACK, Dr King added: ”At this point we can see no purpose in a private face-to-face meeting with a lobbyist employed by the developer.

“However, as we have already stated in the Citizen, STACK will be happy to meet with West Coast Energy when it is prepared to comply with Fife Council’s Supplementary Planning Guidance for Wind.

”The fact is there is considerable opposition, and not just locally, to building an industrial power plant encompassing five 334-foot turbines in the rural landscape on the East Neuk ridge. Many objections have already been lodged with Fife Council and there are clear planning policy grounds for rejecting the application.

“Instead of employing lobbyists to deal with opposition, West Coast Energy should go back to the drawing board and come up with a new proposal that complies with Fife Council’s planning policies and responds to the legitimate concerns of local people.“

In reply, Mr Cummings denied he was personally aware that Dr King was chairman of STACK and added: ”There is no statement on the website outlining which individuals are involved in the group, and all statements made to the media have been anonymous.

“STACK has not contacted Invicta Public Affairs or West Coast Energy at any point to make themselves known to us, instead we have read everything they have stated so far through their news releases in the media, all of which are under the anonymous guise of a STACK ‘spokesman.’

“This is further corroborated by the fact that we had to resort to contacting STACK through the anonymous email address available on the website.

“No-one appears to be actively taking responsibility for the group, and indeed its various comments in the media.

“We believe that all individuals and groups making public statements on behalf of the local community should do so in an open and transparent fashion.

“Invicta is engaged on this project to co-ordinate the communication with the local community and all the various groups that represent them, hence why we are contacting STACK.

“I do acknowledge and accept that STACK is a private interest group rather than a community organisation and, as such, does not have to disclose its office bearers or governance arrangements.

“Our request for the group to disclose this information was made solely so we can discuss on what basis STACK claims to be representing the community, and so we can provide it with the information it is looking for and engage productively with it.

“We remain open to meeting STACK and its members and we hope it will chose to engage both us and West Coast Energy productively and in an open fashion in future.”

Source:  Fife Today, www.fifetoday.co.uk 29 March 2012

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding
   Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)
Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI TG TG Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook

Wind Watch on Linked In Wind Watch on Mastodon