Thursday, September 15, 2016

Ardersier People’s uprising against Scottish waste water treatment plans – can Fergus sort it?

The discontent does more than rumble in Ardersier. The community has been galvanised and have learnt new protest activist and campaign skills on the way. Tonight saw another packed meeting in the War Memorial Hall. An all woman top table of activists set out the next steps of the community’s campaign. Displeasure was expressed about the attitudes of both Scottish Water and Highland Council and preparations were being discussed for the forthcoming site visit of the planning committee to the proposed Waste Water location. The determination was palpable, here was a community fed up with the way the authorities were treating it and looking for help from their elected representatives to redress the situation.

The meeting heard how more support was needed from SNP, Green and Labour MSPs. A question from the floor asked who could stop the development going ahead in the proposed location. The answer came back “Fergus Ewing”. Residents of Ardersier are looking to their constituency MSP to sort the situation for them and get the plant relocated further away from the village. (To this observer that seems like a reasonable request – good luck to the people of Ardersier in their campaign.)  The meeting continued with a hustings for candidates in the forthcoming Ardersier and Culloden ward Highland Council byelection. 

More information and background on the Against Ardersier Waste Treatment Plant here.

You can't go far in Ardersier without coming across protest banners
The meeting was a little late in getting underway
AAWTP activists Isla O'Reilly and Jenny Maylan after the first part of the meeting 



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