Chamber and committees

Since 1 January 2024, the Energy Consents Unit has received 57 applications for consent to construct, extend and/or operate wind farms under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989.

Two of these applications have been approved in this time, with the remaining 55 currently being processed by the Energy Consents Unit and awaiting determination by Scottish Ministers.

The Scottish Government and its agencies have not taken any actions to dredge the River Esk in Langholm.

Local Authorities are responsible for producing local flood risk management plans, and developing, delivering and maintaining flood protection actions. Dumfries and Galloway Council put forward a flood protection scheme for Langholm in its 2015 Local Flood Risk Management Plan, but it was withdrawn due to a lack of community support.

While dredging can play a role in certain flood-management and river-management situations, it is not always effective in reducing water levels and can, in some cases, increase flood risk downstream. It also has the potential to cause significant environmental harm if carried out without the proper due diligence.

Where dredging is appropriate, it can be undertaken subject to certain regulatory controls. Further information is available on the SEPA website at Dredging | Beta | SEPA | Scottish Environment Protection Agency including specific advice for land managers Dredging –A land managers guide to the rules.

The Rural and Islands Housing Fund aims to increase the supply of affordable housing of all tenures in rural Scotland. It has been operational since 2016 and provides capital grant, as well as feasibility funding to community groups, development trusts, private landowners and other established organisations to support the delivery of affordable homes in rural and island communities. The fund is open until March 2028 with a budget of up to £37 million. Applications from individuals are not eligible for the fund.

The Rural and Island Housing Grant Scheme is a recently announced proposal aimed at supporting individuals, including first time buyers, families, rural returners and others to access home ownership in the rural and island communities. The development of the scheme will be taken forward with rural partners and is intended to provide modest capital grants to help meet the cost of buying a home and supporting more properties to be used as permanent residencies. It has an indicative budget of up to £20 million over a four year period.

The Scottish Government has not been made aware of concerns regarding the build-up of gravel in the River Esk or its tributaries in Langholm. Local Authorities are responsible for producing local flood risk management plans, and developing, delivering and maintaining flood protection actions.

While dredging can play a role in certain flood management and river management situations, it is not always effective in reducing water levels and can, in some cases, increase flood risk downstream. It also has the potential to cause significant environmental harm if carried out without the proper due diligence.

Where dredging is appropriate, it can be undertaken subject to certain regulatory controls. Further information is available on the SEPA website at Dredging | Beta | SEPA | Scottish Environment Protection Agency including specific advice for land managers Dredging –A land managers guide to the rules.

In 2018, the Fair Isle Electricity Company (FIEC) secured £1.5 million funding from the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP) and £250,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise. This funding helped to establish a new energy system which delivered a 24-hour supply of electricity for the first time.

FIEC has previously been offered funding to support renewable energy projects on the island through the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES). CARES continues to provide support for communities across Scotland to develop their own renewable energy projects, and we encourage FIEC to engage with Local Energy Scotland, who administer the scheme on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Guidance on the assessment of noise from onshore wind turbines across the UK is set out in the UK Government’s ETSU-R-97 guidance. The UK Government has recently consulted on an update to this guidance, with the aim of reflecting the latest evidence on turbine noise emissions, advancements in turbine technology, and current assessment methodologies. The UK Government is commencing the next phase of the work to update noise guidance and has advised that the current guidance remains suitable for assessing wind turbine noise in the meantime.

The Scottish Government’s National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) Policy 11 (Energy) requires that wind energy proposals demonstrate how potential impacts on communities and individual dwellings, including from noise, are assessed and mitigated as part of project design.

I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:

The Scottish Government and the Scottish Prison Service remain committed to delivering a modern, secure facility that supports staff and better serve the needs of local communities.

HMP Highland will provide a fit for purpose, community facing establishment designed to support rehabilitation and reduce reoffending.

Construction is expected by the end of 2026 and will provide 200 places - more than double the current capacity of HMP Inverness.

The final opening and operational dates will depend on factors such as operational readiness and the successful completion of additional recruitment.

Crown Estate Scotland (CES) manages all aspects of the ScotWind process and is responsible for monitoring compliance with, and enforcing the conditions of, the ScotWind leasing round.

We expect developers to deliver on their Supply Chain Development Statement (SCDS) commitments. Failure to do so can trigger remedies ranging from financial penalties to an inability to progress to a seabed lease.

If the conditions of an option agreement or lease are not met, CES will assess the circumstances of the breach on a case-by-case basis. Where a breach is considered material, CES may take appropriate action in line with the terms of the agreement. This can include, where justified, the termination of the option agreement or lease.

The Scottish Government is doing everything within its power to support the delivery of ScotWind projects and ensure that the offshore wind opportunity for Scotland is realised.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on the quantity of gravel extracted from the River Esk at Langholm in each of the past five years.