Wild Land News no 69, Summer 2007

Assynt "Wind Croft" Article

John Digney reports on a controversial proposal

A proposal for a small-scale windfarm near Lochinver has caused divisions in the local community. The Assynt Foundation, established in 2005 to secure the community buyout of the Glencanisp and Drumrunie estates under the provisions of the Land Reform Act, held an open day followed by an evening public meeting on 28th March at which it was decided to take the plan forward to the next stage.

The proposal for a 5MW scheme is only in its very early stages, but would probably involve either three turbines of 1.65 MW each or six turbines of 0.85MW, sited on a ridge above Glencanisp Lodge. The Lodge is 2km east of Lochinver and is on one of the two main approach routes to the iconic peak of Suilven, a further 5km inland. The turbines would presumably be conspicuous on the walk-in and easily visible from the summits of both Suilven and Canisp and from numerous other viewpoints.

The £4.5m scheme would be community-owned and produce an estimated net income of £300,000, but the community is far from united in its support for the proposals and many people are unhappy about the way the initial consultation process has been handled. According to the Northern Times, Sutherland's weekly newspaper, several local business owners are opposed to the development in such a sensitive location, fearing the adverse impact on tourism, and have discovered that many of their regular customers were unaware of the meeting. Only about 60 people attended the meeting, which was held on the same night as the televised Italy v Scotland European Cup qualifying match.

The organisers have been accused of inadequate publicity for the meeting and of gauging opinion by requesting a simple show of hands from objectors rather than a formal ballot. Not surprisingly in such circumstances, no-one raised a hand, but apparently the organisers apologised for having done it that way on the grounds of "nerves". During the open day a sealed box had actually been provided for written comments, with 24 people agreeing to moving on to the next stage and 14 opposed to any development of the kind proposed. However, the Foundation stress that these are early days and that any proposal will only go ahead with the support of the substantial majority of the community based on an independently-run secret ballot, with full information made available.

Ironically, the newspaper report noted that that at workshop sessions prior to the purchase two years ago, it had emerged that a windfarm was one development the community certainly didn't want. We in SWLG would endorse that view. This is an ancient and unspoilt landscape deservedly designated as a National Scenic Area, and a glance at the map shows how it has largely escaped recent intrusions such as commercial forestry, bulldozed tracks etc. The Assynt Foundation's own website speaks of "44,500 acres of stunningly beautiful natural land" and "an awe-inspiring, wildlife-rich world of lochans, rivers and hills", and makes much of the spectacular setting of Glencanisp Lodge which is now being marketed for holiday accommodation amid stunning scenery. It is hard to see how even a small windfarm can be integrated discretely into this.

The estates were purchased for £2.9m in 2005 largely out of public money, the largest contribution coming from the Scottish Land Fund, and part of the obligation on the Foundation is to provide economic benefit to the community. However, it would be a perverse turn of events if after only two years of community ownership the area were to find itself under threat from the kind of development that is so controversial in the Highlands and Islands. We must hope the community will nip this one in the bud.