Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Moscow and Waterside Community Council submission of 14 June 2021
PE1864/NNN - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
We write in support of this petition. Moscow and Waterside Community Council is a very small Community Council. For several years we have represented local residents facing many planning applications in relation to onshore windfarms, with one set of applications relating to one development occupying the Community Council’s agenda for many years.
Local residents in our area have a particular interest and concern due to local background. We are located very close to Whitelee Wind farm, the largest in Europe. When it was constructed, many residents local to the scheme were adversely affected, which gave us advance notice of some of the likely issues local residents would face.
We note the differences between the relevant Scottish and English legislation highlighted in the Petition.
Number of applications – simultaneous and consecutive applications
Our experience is of multiple applications –including simultaneously similar yet differing applications – relating to the same development, resulting in considerable effort by local interested residents and by the Community Council. Each application can extend to hundreds – or thousands – of supporting pages of documentation which must be reviewed each time. As a result local communities are overwhelmed and, over time and facing repeated applications, it is inevitable that the energy to respond diminishes, unfairly prejudicing the community and local residents.
Responses to applications have been met with subsequent changes by the applicant requiring further scrutiny. This has resulted in a seemingly endless onslaught of documentation to be addressed.
Engagement in the process
The inequality is further exacerbated by very well funded applicants which are able to engage teams of solicitors (indeed, over the course of many applications, hearings, and appeals, to engage several different firms of solicitors) to pursue the applications on their behalf, and to instruct multiple (and in our experience, sometimes contradictory) expert reports. The only real hope for the community is to instruct their own reports in response, at considerable expense. This presents its own significant difficulties for the community.
Local residents seeking to engage in the legal process or appeal face significant financial risk. Our experience – of many hearings, repeated appeals, engagement of QCs, robust questioning of those local residents who engaged at that level, show that there is considerable inequality in engagement.
Our community has also experienced procedural difficulties – in particular around Covid – resulting in an inability to participate fully within proceedings or to be properly represented.
Importance to local residents
It is crucial to recognise that opposition from local residents is made for important reasons which are relevant in rural communities in ways which urban communities may not appreciate – such as harm to local private water supplies where mains water is not provided; volume of construction traffic on roads not suited to it (and where there is no alternative route); significant increase in noise ; harm to local wildlife and the rural landscape, etc. Some of these effects can renders homes, or parts of communities, uninhabitable and force local residents to leave. In our area there are several historic farm properties rendered derelict by onshore windfarm developments, with a resulting loss of local farming.
Overall
We agree that the process is one sided. In our experience it is weighted towards the applicant and very much against local residents and the local community. We therefore support this Petition.
Yours faithfully
Moscow and Waterside Community Council
Related correspondences
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Scottish Government submission of 1 June 2021
PE1864/A - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Alec Kidd submission of 2 June 2021
PE1864/B - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Christopher Shaw submission of 3 June 2021
PE1864/C - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Helen Braynis submission of 3 June 2021
PE1864/D - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Elaine Nisbet submission of 5 June 2021
PE1864/E - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Victoria Boyle submission of 3 June 2021
PE1864/F - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Iain Milligan submission of 4 June 2021
PE1864/G - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
John Logan submission of 4 June 2021
PE1864/H - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Janet and Michael Holley submission of 4 June 2021
PE1864/I - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Tracey Smith submission of 4 June 2021
PE1864/J - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Matthew Reiss submission of 4 June 2021
PE1864/K - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Jerry Mulders submission of 4 June 2021
PE1864/L - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
William Jackson submission of 5 June 2021
PE1864/M - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Caithness West Community Council submission of 7 June 2021
PE1864/N - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
J W Ponton submission of 7 June 2021
PE1864/O - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
George Herraghty submission of 7 June 2021
PE1864/P - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Ian Miller submission of 7 June 2021
PE1864/Q - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Greta Roberts submission of 7 June 2021
PE1864/R - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Sue Hall submission of 8 June 2021
PE1864/S - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
June and Ed Hall submission of 9 June 2021
PE1864/T - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Alison Johnston submission of 9 June 2021
PE1864/U - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Andrew Chadderton submission of 9 June 2021
PE1864/V - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
James Tanner submission of 9 June 2021
PE1864/W - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Amanda Rofe submission of 9 June 2021
PE1864/X - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Howard and Grace Goldstein submission of 9 June 2021
PE1864/Y - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Trevor Procter submission of 9 June 2021
PE1864/Z - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Petitioner submission of 9 June 2021
PE1864/AA - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Moraig Lyall submission of 9 June 2021
PE1864_BB - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Angus Farquhar submission of 10 June 2021
PE1864/CC - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Brian Johnstone submission of 10 June 2021
PE1864/DD - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Elaine Procter submission of 10 June 2021
PE1864/EE - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Hazel Appleton submission of 10 June 2021
PE1864_FF - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Peter Dunn submission of 10 June 2021
PE1864_GG - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
John Edmondson submission of 10 June 2021
PE1864/HH - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Petitioner submission of 11 June 2021
PE1864/II - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Rosemary Milne submission of 11 June 2021
PE1864/JJ - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Elinor Ross submission of 11 June 2021
PE1864/KK - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Alan Cairns submission of 11 June 2021
PE1864/LL - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Celia Hobbs submission of 11 June 2021
PE1864/MM - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Rachel Connor submission of 11 June 2021
PE1864/NN - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Brian Bell submission of 11 June 2021
PE1864/OO - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Ronald and Irene Bain submission of 11 June 2021
PE1864/PP - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Chris Fawcett submission of 11 June 2021
PE1864/QQ - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Jane Dickson submission of 12 June 2021
PE1864/RR - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
John Chapman submission of 12 June 2021
PE1864/SS - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Fiona Ainslie submission of 12 June 2021
PE1864/TT - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Alison Chapman submission of 12 June 2021
PE1864/UU - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Rowland Shallcross submission of 12 June 2021
PE1864/VV - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
David Scott submission of 13 June 2021
PE1864/WW - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Patricia Brander submission of 13 June 2021
PE1864/XX - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Alison and Paul Garrod submission of 13 June 2021
PE1864/YY - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
James Taylor submission of 13 June 2021
PE1864/ZZ - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Bob Chicken submission of 13 June 2021
PE1864/AAA - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Simon Arnold submission of 13 June 2021
PE1864/BBB - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Norrie McLeod submission of 13 June 2021
PE1864/CCC - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Lorna McClean submission of 13 June 2021
PE1864/DDD - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Lyndsey Ward submission of 13 June 2021
PE1864/EEE - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Dr Guy Vernham submission of 13 June 2021
PE1864/FFF - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Elizabeth and Ian Richardson submission of 13 June 2021
PE1864/GGG - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Frank Hay submission of 13 June 2021
PE1864/HHH - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Mary Young submission of 13 June 2021
PE1864/III - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Chris Walsh submission of 13 June 2021
PE1864/JJJ - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Kathrin Haltiner submission of 14 June 2021
PE1864/KKK - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Stephen Mardon submission of 14 June 2021
PE1864/LLL - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms
Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee
Mrs S McKenzie submission of 14 June 2021
PE1864/MMM - Increase the ability of communities to influence planning decisions for onshore windfarms