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Landowners warned over windfarms 

Credit:  The Press and Journal | 27/11/2013 | www.pressandjournal.co.uk ~~

Offshore windfarm developers have been accused of taking advantage of landowners whose land they use to lay cables for connecting schemes to the grid.

In some cases, people are being asked to sign 175-year contracts for cabling on their land despite the fact most offshore wind development schemes operate on a 20-year business model, claims a leading consultant.

Andrew Watkin, head of energy at land consultancy Carter Jonas, has warned many of his clients are at risk of being “steam-rolled” by wind developers.

“What we say to the landowners is don’t get steam-rolled by the first request,” he said. “A 175-year timeline is not necessary – we recommend 20- year leases.”

Many landowners were also being threatened with compulsory powers by developers when they failed to sign up to a proposed contract offer, he said.

“There are certainly landowners who are saying ‘hold on a minute, this is not fair and equitable’.”

Mr Watkin said the government needed to develop a joined-up strategy for offshore wind to prevent hugely variable lease terms for different parts of the chain.

Leases for up to 175 years for connection cabling onshore, against 50-year Crown Estate leases for the sea bed and 20-year business plans for the scheme itself were putting landowners off facilitating projects, added Mr Watkin.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Scottish Ministers expect licence holders to involve people in the decisions that affect them. Many landowners will in fact be likely to gain from the increased connectivity of strengthened grid connections, as will consumers from lesser constraints in the system of transmission and distribution.

“The licence holder should seek to engage with the people affected before, during and after a wayleave process.

“We know that it will not be possible to reach agreement in all cases and, on these occasions, licence holders are entitled to rely on their statutory powers.”

A Crown Estate spokesman declined to comment on individual arrangements between landowners and wind developers.

Source:  The Press and Journal | 27/11/2013 | www.pressandjournal.co.uk

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.

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