• Tourism and Birds
• Timing & Finalised Local Plan
• Noise
• Economic Impact
• Control & Communications
• Setting a precedent/ Grid Capacity
• Island wide issue
• Environment

TOURISM & BIRDS

a) In the recent Dervaig Renewables Newsletter , what do the Dervaig Steering Group Tourism Consultants mean when they say a small negative impact on tourism, and can they express this as a percentage loss of visitors?

b) How conclusive was the research that lead to this statement?

c) Could the DSG or MICT please make available a copy of the Tourism report for the community to read as soon as possible. Maybe it could be placed in the mobile library or at the Dervaig Post Office?

d) What do they think this might equate to in terms of lost income to the island?

e) Even a‘small’ loss of tourism income could represent millions of pounds per year and many jobs lost – can we all afford such a ‘small’ loss?

f) Have the DSG taken into account the 2002 Visit Scotland Survey (Potential Impact of Wind Farms on Tourism in Scotland) and will they be taking into account the Holiday Mull Survey (an ongoing local survey of Mull and Iona visitors) in assessing the likely impact of their plans on tourism? These two surveys show that the negative impact on tourism could be significant.

g) The DSG state in the recent Newsletter that the findings of the bird study so far show there is a possible risk of collision with the wind turbines of hen harrier short-eared owl golden eagle and sea eagle. If one or more of these birds got killed at Loch Frisa especially the high profile sea eagles, and this reached the national press, what impact do they think this could have on the islands wildlife protection reputation and Mulls ‘Eagle Island ‘ image , and the possible knock on effects of this on Mulls wildlife and eco tourism economy? Will the world view it as irresponsible of the island to site a windfarm where the birds may be at risk of collision ?

menu

TIMING & FINALISED LOCAL PLAN

a) We understand that as a result of consultation with the people of Mull and Argyll & Bute, the Argyll & Bute Council have identified Mull as a constrained area (that means it is essentially incompatible with commercial windfarm development and supports community windfarms that are 3 or less turbines or individual turbines).

b) Why has the Dervaig community, all of a sudden, been asked to vote to ‘go all the way’ (to quote the Steering Group at the recent meeting) with the development – even though by their own admission, many key pieces of information are still missing. Could it be so that the developers can attempt to change the Local Plan using ‘public opinion’? – developers influencing planners is a pattern that repeats itself time and time again at present and the planning regulations have already been relaxed once by this government.

c) Why do we need the Dervaig Windfarm to stop any further windfarm developments on Mull when the finalised Argyll & bute local plan could do this for us?

d) Why do they intend to apply for planning permission for 8-12 turbines?

menu

NOISE

a) Contrary to the newsletter and Island press article, visitors to Tangy windfarm were not able to walk up to a mile downwind of the turbines to assess the noise levels from there due to lack of time and weather conditions. Several Mull residents were not at all confident that there would be no noise problem.

b) The Dervaig Steering Group state in the Island Press that older wind turbines can be associated with noise problems. How do they explain why residents at Cruach Mhor windfarm ( 35 x 71M turbines) living within 1 mile from the turbines have had noise problems day and night when easterly winds are blowing and at times this noise penetrates double glazing – this is a new site using new technology opened only last year ?

c) The consultants that produced the noise impact assessment for this project assured people that there would be no noise problems, but there have been. The same consultants have carried out the noise impact assessment for Antuim ,and have said there won’t be noise problems at Dervaig either . The trouble is , as the above example shows, consultants don’t always get it right and you won’t truly know for sure until they’re up and running and then its too late . It can take many years to sort out noise problems.

d) Residents at the Far Old Park Windfarm in Cumbria ( seven turbines 63.5M high ) that the Dervaig Steering Group refer to in their recent Newsletter and the Press article have also experienced noise problems. This windfarm uses V47 660 turbines which Vestas tell us are older but no noisier than V52s the ones proposed for Antuim . Why does the Dervaig Steering Group tell us they are noisier when the people who make them tell us they are not? As they are similar noise- wise and height- wise, and the size of windfarm is similar surely you can’t rule out the risk that residents near Dervaig could get similar problems?

e) The Dervaig Steering Group say in their recent Newsletter that no identifiable health risks have been found related to noise. Can they explain, if there is no problem, why the Department of Trade and Industry are currently investigating three different windfarms where residents have expressed concern that they are experiencing illness which they believe may be linked to the turbines?

menu

ECONOMIC IMPACTS & BENEFITS

a) We note from the minutes of the March DSG meeting (on the Dervaig Community Windfarm website) regarding the long term economic impact report , MICT discussed that it was important to stress the long- term positive effects there would be to the Mull economy.

b) The public meeting presentation by MICT (particularly on economics) very much focused on the positive impact of the ‘money’ ie. 100k profit per year and the impact of that on the economy, but there was very little presented on the possible negative economic impacts. Surely an economic impact survey should consider both positives and negatives to be a useful study for the community to base their vote on, after all this was the remit of the Steering Group?

c) What was the brief given for the survey?

d) 100k net profit does not seem a very good return for the community on their 7-8 million pound investment?

e) Media coverage of wildlife, and especially the Sea Eagles on Mull has generated masses of free publicity for the island as well as adding huge value to our economy. What research has been done on the possible negative impacts, for example; if the Sea Eagle project at Loch Frisa was put in jeopardy as a result of siting a windfarm nearby, what would the economic long term losses be, bearing in mind it’s the only live white tailed eagle viewing hide in the world at present and is an extremely valuable and high profile asset to Mull. Have the knock-on effects of this been weighed up against the circa 100k a year profit from the windfarm for community projects?

menu

CONTROL & COMMUNICATIONS

a) Once the Dervaig Community Renewables Trust has been formed, the influence of the local community will be greatly diminished – how do you feel about a small group of volunteers being advised by a developer, acting for a small part of the whole community taking decisions that will affect the livelihood of the whole island ?

b) We understand that the remit for the DSG was to gather and disseminate information relating to the feasibility of constructing a windfarm at Antuim, Dervaig – this task has not, by their own admission been completed and yet they are making a clear recommendation to the Dervaig Community to vote ‘yes’ to ‘go all the way’ – how can people make an informed judgement on such an important issue without having the full facts before them?

c) The DSG state in their recent Newsletter that they will automatically become directors of the Dervaig Community Renewables Trust and that they will remain so for the first 15 months after which they will stand for re-election. They also state that the directors will make all detailed decisions on policy and how the profits are spent – How much control will the Dervaig Community have over their ‘Dervaig Community Wind Farm’ when this happens?

d) How do you feel about the fact that a small part of the whole community have been prepared to prevent anyone else from developing any non-domestic community renewable energy projects?

e) If the prime objective of the development is to provide renewable energy to Mull, then why hasn’t the whole community been involved in the key decisions –for example - Do we want a community windfarm? If we do ,where the optimum site for any community windfarm should be?

f) Who is paying for this multi-million pound development project - what strings are attached, and how does this affect control of the windfarm and land once it is up and running and will the community really own it?

g) Why, at the recent meeting was debate of key points constrained – all that was allowed was simple question and answer, with the answers being given much more emphasis and time – is it because the Dervaig Steering Group and Mull & Iona Community Trust were worried about losing control of the meeting and being put in a position where it was obvious that they could not fully answer some extremely important questions – questions that relate to the whole of the island community?

h) WAG were the first group to submit a comprehensive and detailed list documenting what they considered the key pros and cons for windfarms on Mull to the Renewable Energy Forum – a body that was originally suggested by WAG members. A copy of this was given to the Dervaig Steering Group – has this information been given to the Dervaig Community?

i) The Dervaig Steering Group state that their public meetings are open to anyone yet they are only advertised in Dervaig by posters. No announcements advertising the meetings have been made in the island’s press since the start of this development project and only at the last minute have the details been made available on their web site- How are the wider community supposed to attend if there are no island wide adverts in other villages or the local press?

j) Have the Dervaig Steering Group advertised any of their public meetings in time for everyone to make arrangements to attend – ie two weeks or more notice?

menu

SETTING A PRECEDENT/GRID CAPACITY

a) The Dervaig Steering Group have said in the island press that the Antuim development will take up all of the remaining capacity on the island and in their recent Newsletter have stated that this is likely to prevent any further non-domestic turbines being built on Mull.What investigations have they conducted in order to reach this conclusion other than taking their consultants word for it?

b) Wind Energy Ltd are still around and according to SNH they are looking at new sites on Ardnamurchan and Morvern, (exact locations can’t be disclosed due to client confidentiality).
The company are under new management and are keeping their cards very close to their chest. The advice is to keep a close eye on planning applications as we might not get much prior warning this time round.
Wind Energy will undoubtedly be watching the Antuim Windfarm very closely, as it could pave the way and set a precedent for them. The development of a windfarm at Antuim could therefore have serious consequences for us all – after all, companies such as Wind Energy are unlikely to be constrained by the capacity of the local grid.

c) A recent article by the Herald newspaper’s Scottish Political Correspondent highlights a ‘Restricted’ confidential paper entitled ‘Modernising the Scottish Planning System’ which Malcolm Chisolm (the communities minister) put to cabinet three weeks ago and which will form the basis of a White Paper next month. According to the Herald, if this proposal is adopted, “once controversial projects such as large windfarms…have been designated as part of the ‘National Planning Framework’ (NPF)” (as a result of them being of ‘national strategic importance’) “it will no longer be possible to challenge such plans at a public enquiry on the grounds of need….there would be no stopping them”

menu

ISLAND - WIDE

a) If the objective of this development is to provide £100,000/yr to support good causes throughout Mull and Iona why did the project start at Antuim without involving the whole of the community in the voting process and the decisions, and without deciding, together, where the optimum site would be?

b) Why was the whole Community on Tiree able to choose from all of the available sites and were involved in the process and voting from the start whereas on Mull and Iona we were not given this opportunity?

c) Why do we end up with the Dervaig Community Renewables Trust and not the Mull and Iona Community Renewables Trust if the profits are now going Island - wide?

menu

ENVIRONMENT

menu