Campaigners hit out at ‘corporate bullying’ on Cabrach wind farms 

Campaigners opposed to a wind farm proposal in the Highlands say they have fallen victim to “corporate bullying and greed”.

The Cabrach, a moorland north of the Cairngorms, already has 78 turbines within six miles. A further 21 have consent. Twenty-two more and a battery facility are being proposed.

Boralex, a Canadian company, took control of the Clashindarroch extension project when it acquired the UK interests of Infinergy, a European energy company, in July 2022.

It has now formed a joint venture with the site owner Christopher Moran, the London-based businessman and Conservative Party donor.

Moran achieved an unwanted notoriety when his London apartment block, Chelsea Cloisters, was linked to prostitution and described as “ten floors of whores”, while his early City career was marred when he became the first Lloyd’s broker to be expelled for “discreditable conduct” in 1983.

He has always denied doing anything wrong and points to the fact that he has been trusted with a string of public appointments.

Trevor Smith, a Cabrach resident, said: “The development has become a symbol of corporate bullying and greed. This is a proposal which seeks to exploit government policy deemed sympathetic towards the corporate interests of people far removed from this community who feel they can do as they please and strip the Cabrach of the natural assets which make it such a special place to live.”
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The Cabrach Trust, a charity whose aim is to preserve the community’s heritage, has written to Boralex to appeal to the company’s commitment to social responsibility.

The trust is chaired by Grant Gordon, whose whisky-making family are second in The Sunday Times Scotland Rich List with a fortune of £5.6 billion. Gordon has lived part-time in the Cabrach since childhood.

The charity has previously written to Patrick Decostre, the Boralex chief executive, to point out the damage it claims the scheme will inflict. It has made several requests for a meeting.

In a letter to Esbjörn Wilmar, a director of Boralex, Jonathan Christie, the Cabrach Trust chief executive, wrote: “We feel there is acute overprovision of wind turbines around our remote and fragile community.”

Boralex’s website states it will “take concrete steps to protect biodiversity” and it promises to “foster an open dialogue with host communities”.

Christie said: “It remains our view that the [Boralex] commitment ‘to consult and engage communities’ does not reflect what was a façade, faux-consultation.”

Wilmar told The Sunday Times that his company’s development was a crucial element in the fight against climate change after the warmest year on record.

He said: “We continue to engage in transparent consultations with all stakeholders, including the Cabrach Trust. This has resulted in an improved project to which none of the statutory consultees are objecting any more.

“Employment opportunities will open up for local people during construction, and we are committed to providing a community benefit fund which will invest £29 million into the local community.”