Council / Councillors approve wind farm car park plans despite ‘reservations’
A PUBLIC car park with picnic benches at a former Viking Energy wind farm construction compound has been approved despite “reservations” from councillors.
The proposal, including around 20 parking bays and a container for all-terrain wheelchairs, was green lit at Wednesday’s planning committee meeting.
There had been a number of objections to the plans, including from Delting Community Council – which had triggered the need for a public meeting.
Members heard the move would allow people to walk, cycle and ride horses along the tracks of the windfarm, with parking available at the development south of Voe.
But councillors were concerned about the lack of representation from groups that supposedly supported the plans, including Ability Shetland and outdoor and equestrian groups.
And there were also questions about who would be responsible for the car park’s upkeep and maintenance.
SSE Renewables’ Aimi Munro said it would design and construct the new car park, before handing it over to the SIC for the lifespan of the Viking wind farm.
Planning documents said the developer will make a “one-off capital contribution” towards future maintenance of the new carpark.
However, she said she could not provide any figures about the level of demand SSE was expecting at the site in response to questioning from councillor Davie Sandison.
Objector Rosemary Macklin, speaking at the meeting, said a fellow objector had accused SSE of a “cynical use of the disabled” in order to justify their application.
She said she found it “very telling” that there was no representation from Ability Shetland in support of the plans.
While councillors Sandison, Cecil Smith and Robert Thomson all raised concerns about the plans, they said the application did not actually go against any council policies.
Sandison said there were “a lot of unknowns”, while Smith added he felt there would be a “limited number of people that would use the facility”.
Shetland West councillor Mark Robinson supported the plans, saying a track to the top of the hill would be a “huge boon”.
He added that not everyone would clearly be in support of the project, but said there would be “interest from some quarters” to seeing the wind farm up close.
Sandison said he had a number of “reservations”, particularly around future costs, the demand for the site and the lack of public support.
He said he would “expect the developer to seek letters of support” to back up its case.
But he said it was in compliance with council policy, and so he could not go against it.
Fellow Shetland Central member Catherine Hughson agreed, saying if the council rejected the application “it will go to appeal and it will get overturned”.
The planning committee approved the application from SSE, with an added condition that development cannot commence until there is evidence of a financial agreement between the SIC and SSE for repairs and upkeep of the car park.
Become a member of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its readers to consider paying for membership to get additional perks:
- Removal of third-party ads;
- Bookmark posts to read later;
- Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
- Hide membership messages;
- Comments open for discussion.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.
Already a member? Sign in to hide this message.
