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Councils’ final say on wind farms
Credit: The Berwickshire News | 28 April 2014 | www.berwickshirenews.co.uk ~~
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Translate: FROM English | TO English
Local councils should be allowed to have the final say on whether or not to approve onshore wind farms in their area.
Berwickshire MSP John Lamont wants Scottish councils to have the same rights on wind farm decisions that the Conservatives say they will give councils south of the border if they win the next general election.
In Berwickshire there are have been cases where planning consent has been turned down by Scottish Borders Council, only for that to be overturned by the Scottish Government who want to see Scotland’s renewable energy sector develop faster than the rest of the UK.
Yet Mr Lamont is still calling on the Scottish Government to enact similar proposals and give councils the final say.
“Over the past few years we have seen Scottish Borders Council and other local authorities across Scotland repeatedly overruled when it comes to planning application refusals,” he said.
“Instead of pursuing a varied energy policy the SNP seem determined to site as many wind farms as possible, often at the expense of local views. It makes a mockery of councils if after consulting with local residents and stakeholders they rightly choose to reject a planning application, only to have that decision overruled by the SNP Government.
“In addition to phasing out wind farm subsidies we need to ensure that those deciding over whether a wind farm should be sited are those in the community who it affects. Councils are perfectly capable of doing this without interference from the Scottish Parliament.”
“I am sure that many Borderers would welcome any proposals that could help curb this spread.”
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