Shieldaig Hydro Scheme
Scottish Executive Press Release | Background to Objection
Ramblers Scotland lodged an objection in June 2003 against the proposed hydro electricity generating scheme at Shieldaig and Slattadale, Wester Ross. On 16th March 2004, the Scottish Executive announced the application had been refused and issued the following Press Release.
The Scottish Executive Press Release 16 March 2004
Scottish Ministers have refused the application by Highland Light and
Power Limited for consent for a Hydro-Electric Generating Station at sites
around Shieldaig and Slattadale in Wester Ross. The area of Highland landscape
is of national and international significance.
The plans involved constructing four new weirs, transferring water
through a buried pipeline, building new turbine houses and other modifications to
existing water courses and lochs in the area.
Deputy Enterprise Minister Lewis Macdonald said : "We have a
responsibility to balance renewable energy benefits with potential. negative impacts on
the environment and local communities.
"In this instance the potential impact of this scheme, now and in the
future, on an area of national and international significance is simply
too high and outweighs the potential benefits."
The scheme would have provided 3.55 MW, generating enough electricity to
supply around 5,300 homes.
Widespread consultation on the proposed scheme was carried out - 848
members of the public objected, while six people wrote in to support the scheme.
Many organisations objected to the scheme including Torridon and
Kinlochewe Community Council, the John Muir Trust, and the
Mountaineering Council for Scotland. Highland Council did not object to the scheme and
Gairloch Community Council expressed their support.
Ministers have decided they have enough information to make the decision
without the need for a Public Inquiry.
As part of the process the applicant was given an opportunity to respond
to Ministerial concerns at the end of last year. Their response did not
alleviate these concerns and the decision to refuse the application was
taken.
Ramblers Scotland Background to Objection June 2003
The development would have a significant impact on the landscape and amenity of a very important tract of wild land in Scotland which is recognised as being of national and international significance through designation as the Wester Ross National Scenic Area. The construction of roads, artificial structures and the regulation of river flows and loch levels are inappropriate in an area famous for its unspoilt character.
Wild land is a precious resource in Europe and Scotland is world famous for having some of the best areas. Their protection in as near natural condition as possible is becoming of increasing importance both from environmental and outdoor recreation perspectives. Many tracts of wild land and water in Scotland have already been diminished in quality due to substantial modification in the past by hydroelectric generation schemes. Many other areas face change in the future as renewable energy schemes impact on the landscape. The best areas of wild land in Scotland must be protected against such changes and this includes outstanding landscapes of the quality found in the Wester Ross NSA. The further sacrifice of such areas to renewable energy development is unacceptable.
The economic and environmental benefits projected for the scheme do not outweigh the disadvantages in terms of reduced recreational quality and visitor appeal. Furthermore the contribution that this scheme is projected to make to meeting future energy supplies is extremely small when compared to other options in Scotland and, on balance, does not justify this scale of damage to the NSA.
We are increasingly concerned at the number of renewable energy schemes that are coming forward in Scotland and being considered against a somewhat inadequate national planning framework. There is an urgent need to put in place guidance that will direct developers to the least sensitive locations. Such an approach was taken before in Scotland, during the successful development of on shore facilities associated with North Sea oil development, in the 1970s, and is increasingly common in other European countries today as they plan for renewable energy developments.
Under such a framework we do not believe that a scheme such as that proposed for Shieldaig and Slattadale would have progressed to the present stage. With appropriate locational guidance at the national level it would have been obvious that alternative means of meeting government renewable energy objectives were available without causing significant adverse impact on the environment. Similar problems are arising over the location of onshore windfarms. There is a real risk that the development of renewable energy projects will be increasingly frustrated through public controversy, delay and expensive inquiries.
We have called for a new national planning framework for renewable energy development to be put in place as a matter of urgency.
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