The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) is calling on political parties in May’s Scottish Parliamentary election to show a commitment to Scotland’s wild land and world famous landscapes by speaking out against wind farm proposals in our dwindling areas of wildness.
The MCofS says the proposed Allt Duine wind farm, on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park, is a prime example of a renewable energy project that will cause irrevocable damage to a cherished wild landscape and ruin views in the Monadhliath mountains. The mountaineering body believes the character of this special area is in the hands of the next Scottish Government.
The MCofS says, “If it is allowed to go ahead the Allt Duine wind farm would consist of 31 turbines, each over 125 metres high and be visible from many mountains within a 35 kilometre radius. The turbine site would be 400 metres from the boundary of the Cairngorms National Park, with the access tracks starting inside the Park. If all the proposed wind farms in this area are developed there would be 11 separate wind farms visible from Cairn Gorm.”
MCofS President Chris Townsend said: “Scotland’s mountains are a precious wild land resource that once lost is gone forever. Like the John Muir Trust and other organisations, the MCofS believes that wind farms in the wrong location destroy wild landscapes. Allt Duine is one such wind farm and should not be built.”
MCofS Access and Conservation Officer Hebe Carus said: “The MCofS does not object to all wind farms, but we believe that recent planning consents show that wind farms are being permitted where they are accelerating the loss of Scotland’s wildness. Scottish Government policy is driving wind farm planning approvals in highly sensitive and vulnerable areas. If people care about our upland landscapes, then the only way to change the policy is for the electorate to make it an election issue.“
For further information contact Hebe Carus on 07786 878 641 or hebe@mcofs.org.uk. To see the MCofS response to the Allt Duine wind farm planning application click here.