Fife is not closed to wind turbines they just have to be in the right place, a leading councillor has said.
Fife Council administration leader Councillor Alex Rowley made his declaration despite the Scottish Government’s decision to reject his call for a windfarm moratorium in Fife.
On Tuesday, Energy Minister Fergus Ewing launched guidance designed to make planning applications for wind energy developments run more smoothly for developers, planning authorities and the communities affected.
Mr Ewing also announced an ”onshore wind taskforce” which will look at ways to improve the planning consent process for onshore wind while keeping communities involved.
Mr Rowley told The Courier he was ”at pains to say Fife is not anti-wind turbine.” However, he still believed the applications should be handled differently.
”Communities should have a much larger stake in the benefits,” he said. ”However, I am at pains to say we are not anti-wind turbine. Fife is not closed to turbines, but they’ve got to be in the right place.
”The moratorium was to give us time to do that, but the decision of the Scottish Government to reject our call is not going to stop us from listening to what the public want.”
In Tuesday’s announcement about windfarm application guidance, Mr Ewing said: ”The aim is to make the planning process for wind developments go more smoothly for everyone involved.
”The Scottish Government wants to see the right developments in the right places, and this guidance will help to ensure that.
”It will also make sure there are fewer unsuitable applications and that communities are properly consulted and informed.”
However, a spokesman for Communities Against Turbines Scotland (Cats), which includes a number of Fife campaigners, said: ”If Mr Ewing really wants to reconcile renewable energy with environmental concerns, he wouldn’t be grandstanding with an EU-funded project and producing yet more ‘guidance’ which ruthless wind developers will just ignore he would be listening to local communities in Scotland and respecting local democracy, and making sure developers did the same.”