Draft letter for submission to Mr Rennilson. Please state your own reasons for objecting in item 12, give your address and name and date the letter. 

Own Address

Mr John D Rennilson
Director of Planning
Highland Council
Glenurquhart Road
Inverness
IV3 5NX 
Date

Dear Mr Rennilson

Re: REWG Consultation Document

 I object to major and commercial wind farm developments on the Isle of Skye for the following reasons:

1.       Wind farms will have no significant effect on global emissions. DTI figures reveal that meeting the 2010 renewable energy target will result in only a 0.1% fall in global emissions. Booklet A 6.1.2.states “One of the main, if not the main reasons for adopting renewable energy technologies is to reduce CO2 emissions”. This statement is therefore incorrect and irrelevant and should not be used as an excuse for wind farm developments on Skye.

2.       Wind farms will result in an increase in electricity prices. Denmark produces a higher percentage of its electricity from wind power than any other European country and also has the highest electricity prices.

3.       Wind power is intermittent, unreliable and unpredictable and will never provide a secure supply of electricity for an industrialised country.

4.       Skye is one of Scotland’s foremost tourist destinations; its attraction based on unspoilt grandeur of scenery. Wind farm developments will cause massive visual intrusion and are likely to severely damage the tourist dependent economy of the Island. The Council’s decision to zone wind farms in order to reduce visual impact over the Highlands as a whole is indicative that they are aware of this potential damage.

5.       Wind farm developments will bring few, if any, permanent jobs to the Island and are likely to result in a fall in the number of tourist related employment opportunities.

6.       Wind turbines kill birds and damage wild life. Skye is the home to many protected species of birds, yet there is a total absence of any bird data in this documentation.

7.       Wind farms sited on Skye’s blanket bogs will irreparably damage this important carbon store and result in the release of thousands of years of stored carbon potential.

8.       Wind farm developments are sited too close to properties. Some Skye communities are actually sited WITHIN potential development areas. If wind farms are constructed there should be at least a 5km setback distance between turbines and properties in order to minimise visual intrusion, shadow flicker, noise and potential health problems.

9.       98% of the revenue from commercial wind farm developments will leave the Island.

10.   Commercial wind farm developments take all the spare grid capacity, leaving no opportunity for small scale community schemes, which would retain the income locally.

11.   There has been no strategic environmental assessment of the impact of the strategy on communities, the environment, or the economy; a basic prerequisite for sustainable development.

12.   (State own reasons for objecting) 

Yours sincerely 

Name