Minister refuses temporary halt on new wind farms

Ministers in Scotland have refused permission for councils to call a temporary halt to the construction of new wind farms after they complained of being ‘inundated’ with planning applications.

Local government minister, Derek Mackay, recently wrote to both Fife and Moray councils rejecting their pleas for a moratorium on new wind turbines, stating such an ‘unprecedented step in Scottish Planning practice’ would cause ‘undue delays’ to developments.

The minister’s rejection has set a precedent in the devolved nation, where local authorities received 1,800 wind turbine applications last year alone.

Officials at Moray Council, which was the first authority in Scotland to call for a local moratorium, said they had received ‘significant support from the local community’ for the initiative and the rejection would be ‘a bitter blow to many people across Moray who felt it was a sensible and proportionate move’.

Moray Council’s leader, Cllr Alan Wright said: ‘I am disappointed that our request has been refused by the minister.

‘I felt it was a reasonable one given that we are asking the people of Moray for their views on wind turbine planning for the future.'

The leader of Fife Council, Cllr Alex Rowley, also complained in June that many green energy companies were submitting ‘opportunistic’ applications in unsuitable areas.

A Scottish Government spokesman said ministers are considering ways of helping councils to deal with green energy planning applications.

‘We do not believe that a moratorium on wind turbine applications is appropriate – it would simply cause undue delay and uncertainty for everyone involved in applications,’ he added.