January 14, 2013
Scotland

Wind farm ‘propaganda’ given to primary school pupils

By Dean Herbert | January 13, 2013 | www.express.co.uk

Wind farm bosses have been accused of targeting children as young as five in a bid to drum up support for more turbines.

Primary pupils were handed letters, seemingly written by a developer, encouraging their parents to back a planning application for an extension to a wind farm.

The note contained a section for parents’ signatures at the bottom and was addressed to the local council’s planning department.

SNP-controlled North Ayrshire Council claimed the letters were “directly relevant” to the pupils’ school work.

But critics denounced both the developer Community Windpower Limited and the council for allowing “propaganda” in the classroom.

The move comes amid mounting pressure on the planning system as Alex Salmond aims to generate the equivalent of all Scotland’s electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

Struan Stevenson, a Scottish Tory MEP, said: “How can residents have faith in decisions on controversial planning proposals if it’s the council’s policy to allow distribution of pro-renewables propaganda on behalf of the developers?”

He said he would ask the Public Standards Commission for Scotland to investigate.

Cheshire-based Community Windpower wants two more turbines at Millour Hill three miles from Dalry.

The letter was handed to pupils at Dalry and St Palladius primaries.

A council spokesman said: “Pupils have been involved with projects related closely to the environment and sustainable energy and the distributed information was directly relevant to their school work.”

Community Windpower was unavailable for comment but a spokesman for trade body Scottish Renewables said: “We would discourage developers against using such indirect means of contacting adults to support a planning application.”

The Scottish Government distanced itself from the row, saying it was a matter for the local authority.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/01/14/wind-farm-propaganda-given-to-primary-school-pupils/