Following the decision on 14 December by Shetland Islands Councillors to recommend the Viking wind development for approval, the UK's leading wild land charity, the John Muir Trust (JMT), believes it is essential that an independent Public Local Inquiry investigates the impact of the proposed development.
The Trust believes that the size and scale of the Viking development, which consists of 127 turbines reaching to 145 metres high, 104 kilometres of tracks, and associated buildings and quarries, makes it unsuitable for one of the wildest areas in the UK.
Helen McDade, head of policy for the John Muir Trust, said: “It is necessary for democracy that a full Public Local Inquiry is held into the Viking development.
“This development has major impacts on the landscape and on birdlife that have been identified by a range of bodies, including Scottish Natural Heritage and the RSPB. The Council’s own planning department recommended rejection of the application.
“Moreover, the character of mainland Shetland will be so fundamentally changed that this will have major social and economic impacts on local people – affecting livelihoods dependent on tourism and affecting property prices. Construction traffic for years on the few roads in mainland Shetland will impact on businesses and people’s ability to move around for daily life.
“Given the split in public opinion over the development, with 2,300 objections to the revised plan and 900 letters of support going to the Energy Consents Unit, these issues must be properly investigated at a full independent Public Local Inquiry.”
At the Shetland Islands Council meeting, seven Councillors did not vote due to conflicts of interest, and the final vote was nine to four in favour. There are twenty-two Councillors on the Council.
If the council had decided to reject the development, a Public Local Inquiry would have been triggered. However, it is now up to the Scottish Government to determine whether or not an Inquiry is held.