'Vast majority' back wind farms

I would like to reply to those correspondents who took issue with our survey on tourist attitudes to wind farms. It is true the Scottish Renewables Forum and the British Wind Energy Association support the use of renewable sources, but this does not negate the findings in any way.

The survey was carried out in-dependently by MORI, and we had no input into the findings. The fact is that it was tourists who said these things; we just published what they said.

Importantly, the survey took place in an area with a number of wind farms, to test out what happens in an area where wind power is common. This has not been done before, and the re-sults should be seen as an important contribution to this debate.

It found that the majority of visitors came because of the high quality landscape, but they were not put off by the presence of wind farms. Indeed, 80 per cent said they would be interested in visiting a wind farm.

Of those who knew about the wind farms, 55 per cent said they had a more positive view of Ar-gyll as a place to visit. Only 8 per cent were more negative, and 32 per cent had an unchanged view. This means the people who visit for Argyll’s beauty, also appreciated the wind farms.

The vast majority of people in Scotland support renewable energy, including wind farms. This survey shows we do not have to choose between wind energy and tourism; areas such as Argyll can benefit from both.

MAF SMITH

Scottish Renewables Forum

Cooperage Way

Alloa, Clackmannanshire