Newsletter by Date

It has been a month since the last newsletter from CaSHWIG.  I hope you have all been keeping up to date on the new posts on the website.

The website has been a great success, having had over 900 hits, and now appears at the top of my Google searches when seeking CaSHWIG.  This is great progress as we only started building the site in late December.  We continue to post information discovered through our work along with links to interesting and relevant articles.  We have also included links to activities on other nearby windfarms, for example the planning application for the Hill of Fare wind-farm and the judicial review of the decision to expand the Vattenfall windfarm at the Clashendarroch with its prognosed impact on the critically endangered Scottish Wildcat.

In January CaSHWIG presented at both the Donside Community Council meeting and the Bennachie Community Council meeting. 

The presentation and the Donside Community Council on 9 January was a verbal explanation of CaSHWIG and followed the Force 9 Energy presentation on the wind-farm proposal.  The first draft of our leaflets was distributed at that meeting and we gained many more followers for the email newsletter.  EDF and Force 9 Energy have provided some links they have requested we put on our website that explain the benefits of onshore windfarms.  To ensure we supply as much information as possible we have provided these links on the website.  As they are long documents that state aspirations, with little or no specifics for the Correen Hills windfarm, they have been posted with shorter documents that summarise some of the statements contained.

The Bennachie Community Council on 22 January meeting was different as Force 9 Energy and EDF did not present at this meeting.  This meeting was significant as the Bennachie Community Council had not replied to a request to comment on the Correen Hills Wind-farm scoping document.  Once we noticed that EDF and Force 9 were missing from the agenda we did ensure EDF and Force 9 Energy were informed that we were presenting prior to the meeting.  Consequently, we provided the Bennachie Community Council a brief summary on the proposal as well as an introduction to CaSHWIG.  We were given a 15-minute slot, presented for 10 minutes allowing for 5 minutes of questions.  40 minutes later we were still answering questions, which we feel is a good sign of engagement.  We recommended that the Bennachie Community Council request that Force 9 Energy and EDF present to them directly.

We now have the second draft of leaflets available to anyone who wants some, either for their own reading or for distribution amongst friends and neighbours.  The original 250 we had printed went within days.  We also have A4 posters for displaying in windows and shops etc.  These don’t explain the proposal, instead pointing people to the website for them to gather more information to form their own opinions. Please email info@cashwig.org should you want any leaflets.  There are also a couple of banners up now, on private land adjoining the Suie Road, directing people to the website.  These seem to be getting the website onto people’s radar.

We now have a bank account, which we are waiting to activate so we can start to ask for donations to fund some of the expenses which up to now has been born by individuals,  who we thank profusely.  If you want make a donation, please send an email to info@cashwig.org and we will provide the bank details. Thank you for your support.

We have developed a communications plan, which we currently developing actions for.  This includes a Facebook page and an “X” site.  These sites will start to become active through February.  We are contacting many of the scoping document consultees in an attempt to understand their needs and viewpoints.  This includes the consultees who have yet to provide feedback to the consultation request.

Out technical teams continue to work hard going through all the existing documents and getting up to speed on the regulations and guidance applicable to this proposed development.  We are learning a lot from this work and are grateful to the hours these people are putting in. 

One example of things we are learning is in the “Landscape Sensitivity Assessment – Onshore Wind Energy Development in Aberdeenshire Planning advice PA2023-03 September 2023,” which classifies the Correen Hills  as “Landscape Classification Type 28 – Rolling Hills and Ridges”, which are “a high value landscape, highly visible and important in maintaining views to and from the highland backdrop” and states that for “Large/very large turbines (125- 200m).  This development category could significantly diminish the wild and remote character of this LCT. Turbines of this height with associated infrastructure could intrude upon the recreational, community and cultural appreciation of the landscape.”  It goes on to conclude “A visually sensitive, high quality, high value landscape, sensitive to erosion of character from wind energy development.  Cumulative visual effects from existing wind energy development are a key sensitivity.”

A further learning we have gained is that because this proposal is greater than 50MW, the views of the local county elected representatives are not necessarily included in the Aberdeenshire Council comment on the consultation for the planning application.  This is reserved for the planning department and the Energy Consents Unit.  It is therefore important that your elected representatives understand your views, so they can transmit these to the planning department proactively as they may not be consulted.

On the whole things are progressing well, except in one area.  We have been advised that EDF are subject to Freedom of Information requests under Environmental regulations.  Consequently, we sent a Freedom of Information request to EDF for access to the studies, reports, data, guidance documents and advice they have used to develop their Scoping Documents.  This was submitted on 3 January and compliance with regulations would have required the information to be with us by 31 January.  Unsurprisingly, we have not received this information.  However, at 15:18 on the 31 January we did receive a letter that stated “EDF Renewables is currently considering whether it is subject to FOISA and the EIRS. Notwithstanding this, we are considering your request for information and will respond in due course.”

We shall continue to seek this information.  We are unsure why the developers wish to keep the information from public view, but will do our best to ensure any future consultation is appropriately informed.

We also thank HoFWIG, (the information group for the Hill of Fare proposed wind-farm) for their very generous sharing of information, knowledge and advice.

Finally, if you have read this far, well done!  Could you please forward this email to whoever you feel appropriate, and spread the word about cashwig.org and direct people to the website as much as possible.  We are passionate that local residents should be kept fully appraised so they can form their own opinions in an informed manner.

Kind Regard

Chris Hamlet

Chairman[  - CaSHWIG