November 17, 2012
Scotland

Call for halt to windfarms

The Press and Journal | 17 November 2012

A veteran Highland councillor made a passionate plea to halt any further windfarm development in Caithness which has been peppered with a growing number of giant turbines over the past decade.

He raised the issue during a debate at the council’s Inverness headquarters about amended guidance on what the authority perceives as “small-scale” turbines.

Donnie Mackay, an independent councillor who represents Thurso, told colleagues: “Caithness has had its fair share of wind turbines over the years.

“How far do we have to go before we can call a halt on wind turbines in Caithness – because there’s a whole lot more waiting to come in.

“As we know, Caithness is very flat. If we keep adding to them we’ll have no tourists coming at all. When do we call a halt?”

There are currently 48 large-scale turbines operating in Caithness. A further 87 have been approved or are under construction, and proposals for 48 more are still to be determined.

Planning committee vice-chairman George Farlow of the Highlands’ power-sharing SNP group suggested there was “no relationship” between tourism and wind turbines.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/11/17/call-for-halt-to-windfarms/