CONCERNS have been raised in the Scottish Parliament about the pressure facing local communities who are forced to repeatedly fight back against industrial scale wind farms.
South Scotland MSP Craig Hoy, who is also the Scottish Conservative candidate for Dumfriesshire, raised the 60-turbine development Scoop Hill a few miles south east of Moffat, where Community Windpower has mounted repeated attempts to overcome local opposition.
However, they voted to oppose the project on the grounds of its visual and landscape impact.
The final say on the Scoop Hill development will lie with the Scottish Government, but Mr Hoy is concerned that the system is skewed towards developers.
And he raised the issue during a debate, highlighting how communities are being forced to fight the same development proposals repeatedly, with developers free to keep submitting adapted plans in a bid to win consent.
Speaking at Holyrood, Craig Hoy asked: “Does [Galloway and West Dumfries MSP Finlay Carson] share my concern amongst communities, particularly in the South West, but right across the whole of the South of Scotland, such as those who are affected by the Scoop Hill development outside Moffat.
“At present developers come back time and time and time again with applications, variations of the same theme. They only have to win once, whereas the community have to stand up repeatedly to these developments.”
Mr Hoy said this was unfair on residents and called for greater protection for communities to prevent them from being bombarded with repeated solar, wind and battery storage development applications.
Speaking after the debate, he added: “This situation is incredibly frustrating for residents whose voices should be heard. Planners must respect the views of local people, not just bow to the pressure and persistence of large developers.
“The current system is stacked against communities who simply want to enjoy their current quality of life without living near mega-renewable sites.”
Mr Hoy has pledged to continue pressing the Scottish Government for a change to the planning system that supports communities in Dumfriesshire. He is urging those who are concerned to get in touch with him at the Scottish Parliament.
