'Skye is not for sale': Scottish Highland residents stand strong as wind farm inquiry takes off

An inquiry into plans to double the size of turbines on Skye started this week.

A councillor from the Isle of Skye who resigned from a council’s planning process over the way developments are handled has spoken out against wind farm plans at the centre of a public inquiry this week.

Ruraidh Stewart joined members of the community pushing back against plans to repower Ben Aketil wind farm, near Dunvegan, at the hearing on Monday.

Ruraidh Stewart, centre, with residents from Skye gathering at the inquiry into the Ben Aketil wind farm this week | Katharine Hay

The proposals involve reducing the 12 100m turbines to nine, but doubling the height of each one to 200m. The developer, Nadara, has since proposed a reduction in turbine height to 180m.

The plans were rejected by Highland Council, with NatureScot raising concern over “significant” landscape and visual impacts, which triggered the inquiry.

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Speaking ahead of Monday’s hearing, Mr Stewart, who lives in the south of the island, said: “I am here to make sure this community has a voice and that the Scottish Government hear loud and clear that Skye is not for sale.

“We do not want this wind farm, we do not want pylons. This needs to stop because our communities are suffering.”

The Skye Camanachd Social Club, where the inquiry is taking place, was standing room only on the first day of the hearing | Katharine Hay

Explaining why he stepped away from the council’s planning process, Mr Stewart added: “For too long I was on the North Planning Committee and decided I couldn’t sit there with a good conscience and participate in a system that was doing harm to our community.

“The decisions being made in the chamber were constantly overturned in Edinburgh and Inverness and they weren’t right for Skye. I think I can do a lot more for my community outside the planning committee.”

The inquiry, which will run until Friday, includes legal representatives for Nadara, Highland Council and community groups, including the Skye Wind Farm Information Group (SWIG) and Skeabost Community Council.

The first day of the hearing heard evidence from the applicant on the visual and landscape impact of the proposed development.

The room heard from representatives for the developer and the council who disagreed on various effects of the development, including the scale of the impact on the landscape and the scenic impact on the historic Dunvegan castle.

Daniel Letch, a project manager for Ben Aketil Wind Farm, previously told The Scotsman the project has provided community benefit funding each year which has supported a range of initiatives on the island.

He said the company, which was previously called Renantis before rebranding last year, was the first in Scotland to offer people the opportunity to invest in their local wind farm by setting up Isle of Skye Renewables Co-operative, which has 570 members who receive an annual financial return from the wind farm.

The inquiry comes a fortnight after the Scottish Government approved the revamp of the 99-mile-long overhead line across the island to Fort Augustus.

The SSEN pylon redevelopment was also objected to by Highland Council, but the plans were approved, more than two years after they were submitted, by Scottish ministers.

SSEN said the existing, single circuit overhead line was fast reaching the end of its operational life.

Two workers’ camps are in planning for the south of the island to support the upgrade.

Mr Stewart said this would see up to 1,000 transient workers come to the island, who he claimed would bring “no benefit” to the community.

Reacting to the decision, the councillor said: “I think it’s absolutely shameful.

“Highland Council made their views known. We objected to that programme. The council applied for an extension from the Scottish Government, but we didn’t receive acknowledgement of that.

“It makes a mockery of any local democracy. It runs a horse and coach through good governments and I think the council should do all it can to challenge that decision and make sure there’s justice for the people on this island.”

Mr Stewart and community groups on the island, including SWIG, have called on ministers for a moratorium on renewable energy projects, describing Skye as “the epicentre” of such developments.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said it would not be appropriate to comment on the Ben Aketil application as it is currently under consideration.

On the overhead line decision, the spokesperson added: “The Skye reinforcement project will replace outdated infrastructure to ensure security of energy supply to the residents of Skye and the Western Isles and protect residents against power outages. Ministers have determined that the benefits of protecting the security of electricity supply for around 32,000 homes and businesses, as well as providing additional capacity to connect renewable generation projects means that consent should be granted to this application.”

Skye has some nine extra wind farm applications either consented, in planning or in scoping.

One of the proposed applications included 47 turbines 200m high at Glen Ullinish, between Portree and Dunvegan. The developer, however, announced this week that it had reduced the number to 33 turbines.