Inquiry report on Calliacher

May 22 2009 by Les Stewart, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

THE Scottish Government will receive the report on the Calliacher windfarm public inquiry in the autumn and a decision will be made on the proposed development early the following year.

The timetable was contained in a parliamentary answer to Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser.

He has asked Stewart Stevenson, the Minister for Infrastructure and Climate Change, when the government expected to make a decision on the giant turbines.

In response, the Minister stated: “The last day of sitting of the Calliacher public local inquiry was May 4, 2009.

“Closing submissions are being made in writing and the last date for this is May 27. The accompanied site inspection is due to take place on June 3.

“It is anticipated that the report will be submitted to Scottish Ministers, who will make the final decision in this case, in the autumn.

“Eighty per cent. of appeals for Scottish Ministers’ decision should be determined within two months of Ministers receiving the report and 10 per cent within three months.”

Murdo spoke against the proposed development during the public inquiry on the grounds of cumulative impact of too many wind farms in Perthshire and the potential damage that this will have on the tourism industry.

Murdo said yesterday: “Through parliamentary questions, the people of Highland Perthshire now know that a decision on the proposed Calliacher wind farm may not be until early 2010.

“The Scottish Government will receive the report of the recent public inquiry this autumn and a decision will then be taken within three months.

“The people of Perthshire have had to endure years of uncertainty due to the continued efforts by developers to succeed in obtaining planning permission for the development at Calliacher.

“Unfortunately it seems that a decision is still some way off. The proposed development at Calliacher is against the wishes of the democratically-elected planning authority and the local community has made it clear that they are against any development.

“I believe that the current planning process for wind farm developments is not working and the Scottish Government must bring in new policy to sort out the flawed planning process for wind farms.

“We must get away from the current system where developers have no real guidelines as to where is an appropriate site for a wind farm and the views of local communities and the local council must be paramount.

“I do not think it is right that developments should take place where the local community and the local authority have rejected the proposed development, such as at Calliacher,” he concluded.