Important wind-farm planning meeting in Inverness - 7 Councillors absent, 2 made to leave, 8 make the decision

The Gurn had already reported the controversial issue of two Councillors being excluded from the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey area planning committee on Friday. The eventual decision was taken by only eight members of the 17 strong committee however. The Press and Journal reports:

'Highland councillors unable to attend a key planning meeting for health reasons or due to long-term commitments have responded to their critics.
Seven of the 17-member Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey area planning committee were unable to be at a special hearing on Friday on the contentious issue of a 33-turbine windfarm proposal for Dunmaglass Estate, near Loch Ness, 15 miles south-west of Inverness.
Two others had to leave the room because of their public objections to the scheme.
More than a dozen of the 1,556 objectors to the proposed 394ft high turbines travelled to the Inverness meeting.
Several were angry that only eight committee members were in the chamber to consider the council’s view on the planning application.
The committee voted six-two not to object to Hertfordshire-based developer RES Group’s plans.'

Whatever your position on wind energy this doesn't look good for democracy. It's 2010 and a new age of technology, why can't Councillors absent on business or through ill-health simply use their Highland Council laptops or Blackberries to vote? They could all be issued with a password to enable them to do so or could e-mail the planning department with their decision beforehand, or maybe even a snail mail vote such as that available to the electorate at the General Election. It makes a mockery of the system if technology is ignored, maybe there needs to be a change in the law to allow it to happen? Read the full P&J article here. ( I wonder how long we'll be able to link to these articles, will the P&J go behind a pay wall like the Times Group are planning to do?).

Wind-breaking news?

The list of sites being considered by the Scottish Enterprise as bases for off-shore wind farms includes Ardersier! Perhaps the yard will come back to life after all but not in the way we've been anticipating recently. Instead of housing, after the blue denim rockers will we see the blue denim overalls again? It would be a good solution, a chance for Nairnites who work offshore and elsewhere in the world to find something closer to home again?

'Adrian Gillespie, senior director of Scottish Enterprise's energy team, said: "The further development of a first phase of locations is critical to Scotland establishing itself as a leading location for manufacturing and assembling wind turbines and marine devices.

"Over time, the industry will offer significant opportunities for the whole of Scotland.

"Investing in these sites will provide companies and investors in offshore wind with suitable locations to base themselves to develop, service and support the opportunities that will be created in Scottish and UK water for renewable energy."

More on the BBC site. And more still on the STV pages:

"Each of the five sites identified in the Highlands and Islands possesses significant natural and infrastructural assets. Renewables manufacturing is already underway at Nigg, Campbeltown and Arnish. We look forward to working with partner agencies, developers and community representatives to further explore the opportunities for reinvigoration of facilities at Ardersier and Kishorn, both of which have a history of successful fabrication in the energy sector.”

Renewable energy sector in Scotland could be 'as big as oil and gas boom of 1970s and 1980s'

Family walk against windmills

Well done Karina, Marc, Scott and Peter!
'Nairn Academy pupils Marc Woods, 15, and his brother, Peter, 12, were joined on their journey by their mother, Katrina, in a walk which took them from their front door in George Street, Nairn, to Lochindorb, near Grantown.'

More on the Press and Journal site. And more details on the Save our Dava campaign here.