Am Bratach No. 190
August 2007
mandy@bratach.co.uk

Foundation now sets sights on new, wider study
By Mandy Haggith

The people of Assynt appear to have resolved a conflict that erupted when the results of a feasibility study for up to six for wind turbines in Glencanisp was made public*. The proposal to site turbines on land owned by Assynt Foundation has been put “in the deep freeze” while a broader range of renewable energy options are explored.

The foundation’s new development manager, Mark Lazzeri, said: “We have listened to the views and opinions of the community. In particular we have become very aware of the concerns voiced by those involved with tourism.” At a public meeting last month, a statement on behalf of the foundation said that it will not pursue detailed studies of the environmental and economic impact of the “wind croft” project in Glencanisp, “whilst all alternatives within the Assynt area are thoroughly investigated, including all appropriate technologies”. The Glencanisp “wind croft” project will only be revisited “in the unlikely event of no suitable alternatives being found”.

The Assynt Community Council had begun to organise a public ballot on the Glencanisp wind scheme, but following Assynt Foundation’s announcement the ballot has been “put into abeyance”. At the community council’s most recent meeting, the broader renewable energy study for the whole parish was given a green light.

The most vocal opponents of the wind scheme appear to be mollified by the compromise. Anne MacLeod, postmistress in Lochinver said: “I am quite happy with the outcome of the public meeting. I thought Mark Lazzeri presented the case very well, and I have no problem at all with them exploring other forms of renewable energy.”

Alasdair MacAskill, former chairman of Assynt Foundation, vice-chairman of the community council and a keen supporter of community-owned renewable energy schemes, said: “We are restarting the process with a blank sheet in which everything will be considered and the community will be fully consulted. This way, if there is a better option out there than the Glencanisp one, we will find it.”

The fact that the ballot has not been carried out means that both those opposed to and those in support of the Glencanisp option can claim a majority. One local person stated: “I have heard lots of expressions of relief from people who believe that there would have been a resounding ‘no’ in the ballot”.

Mr MacAskill, on the other hand, said he is “in no manner assured”, that the opposition to the scheme wasn’t “just a minority voice making itself heard”. However, he was emphatic that “there was undoubtedly a portion of the community that was not happy and since that is the case, it is better for us to go forward in agreement as a community.”

Mark Snowdon, chairman of Culag Community Woodland Trust and involved in the proposal for the wider renewable energy study agrees, pointed out that the community deserves credit for moving the debate on. “It has avoided potential conflict and created the opportunity to look at renewable energy from an Assynt-wide perspective,” he said. “It is understandable that the Assynt Foundation focused on its own land. We owe the foundation our gratitude for bringing the potential benefits of an Assynt renewable energy initiative to our attention and for listening to the views from within and outside Assynt and responding in a constructive way.”

The ongoing work will look into bio-energy, hydro-electricity, wind, tidal and wind power generation at other sites in Assynt. Should the study result in recommendations of alternative wind turbine sites, or even find that the Glencanisp option is the best available, this will not be universally popular. Some members of the community are opposed to wind generators anywhere. Other opponents to the Glencanisp option are not opposed to wind power in principle, and hope that a site can be found with less visual impact on the mountainous landscape. Any future proposal will be subject to a ballot.

Mark Lazzeri said: “We need to harness the interest and enthusiasm for renewables very, very soon, and we need to get new resources to invest in this community urgently. We should do nothing to damage tourism, but to rely on it alone for our prosperity is risky. It leaves a lot of the income in the hands of relatively few and it is a rather fickle industry. Diversity is key.”

The investigations will be taken forward by the Assynt Economic Development Group.

• Supporters of a 3-turbine wind farm in a National Scenic Area on Harris face a public local enquiry, with Scottish Natural Heritage continuing its opposition, citing “landscape and visual” grounds. The turbines would be a mile from the nearest house.
• * This corrects the printed version.