May 1, 2015
Scotland

Tory candidate slams Dersalloch decision

Carrick Gazette | 01 May 2015 | www.carricktoday.co.uk

The Conservative candidate standing for election in Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock has hit out at the decision which has given the go ahead for 23 wind turbines near Straiton.

Lee Lyons spoke out after a judge ruled against allowing a ‘protected expenses order’ for Mark Gibson, the owner of Craigengillan Estate, which is home to the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory.

Mr Gibson was fighting to get a judicial review into the plans by Scottish Power Renewables but the judge’s ruling meant that he would have been responsible for the legal expenses of a hearing if he lost his argument.

And now Mr Lyons has spoken out: “This is yet another example of the SNP-led Scottish Government bulldozing through a windfarm development despite fierce opposition from local residents and even the two local authorities in the area. It is an utter disgrace.”

Mr Lyons added: “The Scottish Conservatives have made it very clear in our manifesto that we want to support local communities by giving them the final say on windfarm developments – not Edinburgh-based politicians. We are also committed to delivering a compensation fund to local residents who lose value on their property when a windfarm application is passed”.

The Scottish Government’s Energy Minister Fergus Ewing gave the go-ahead for Dersalloch on the same day the Glasgow Commonwealth Games began last year.

That was despite over 5,000 objections and opposition from South and East Ayrshire Councils.

Now the ruling against Mr Gibson appears to have made it impossible to stop the Dersalloch wind farm being erected.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/05/01/tory-candidate-slams-dersalloch-decision/