The final current petition is from George Makins, on behalf of the Auchencairn community council, calling for a public inquiry into the planning application for wind turbines. We formally referred the petition to the Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning, urging him to take it into consideration as part of the decision-making process. Unfortunately, he made a decision last Friday, after the papers were sent out: the wind turbines will go ahead, despite the petition. However, the deputy minister took the petition into consideration in the decision-making process. I suggest that since a decision has been made there is not much else that we can do.
Official Report · Committee
Current Petitions
Robin Rigg Wind Farm (PE605)
Speakers
Choose an MSP to read only their contributions- John McAllion Lab 4
- Phil Gallie Con 3
The record
9 contributionsI do not know—I think that we could reply to the minister. He said that the project is a forerunner to a number of other projects. We are talking about a major landmark. Local authorities on both sides of the Solway firth and everyone in the area were up in arms over the project. I cannot understand why the minister did not go for the public inquiry, as the petition asks. He has called in planning applications on other occasions. With such a major application, it would have been wise to have taken on board the impact that it will have on the area and the fact that such projects could spread throughout Scotland. If he does not call a public inquiry on this occasion, it is the death of any chance of anybody else, from anywhere else, having a public inquiry.
We cannot get involved in individual planning applications. The minister announced last Friday that the decision is to approve the planning application. There is not a great deal that we can do about it. Political points can certainly be made at the minister's expense, with the forthcoming election—
I do not see it as a political point; I just feel that—
The decision has been taken. It is too late now—that is the problem. I am informed that other petitions that are currently with the committee deal with the general issues of wind farms and the Executive's strategy in relation to them. However, PE605 was specifically about the application to build 60 wind turbines at Robin rigg in the Solway firth. That decision has been taken and I do not think that there is anything that we can do about it now.
The petition called for a public inquiry.
There will not be one now that the planning application has been granted. That is the problem. We can certainly raise the matter under one of the other petitions that deal with the general strategy on wind farms, such as whether there should be some kind of inquiry into them and so on. However, a decision has been taken on this matter and it cannot be overturned.
Meeting continued in private.
Meeting continued in public.
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