Sir – I feel compelled to comment on Rob Gibson’s article which appeared in last week’s NT.
I quite agree with him, in that there should be a "factual" debate by Highland Council on draft guide lines for onshore wind farms. If this debate is to be "factual" though, even Mr Gibson will have to accept that not everyone will agree with his assertions.
In typical SNP fashion, he tries to sweep aside any objections to his tunnel vision. If he finds fellow councillors to be "misleading", is it not his duty to tell us on what grounds are we being misled? Why does he describe the well founded opinion of his fellow councillors as scaremongering?
Having viewed the meeting at which councillors Henderson and Crawford spoke, I am encouraged that such men should speak their minds, and not be intimidated.
Surely it is appropriate, that councillors should consider all forms of power generation, including nuclear, if Scotland is to have a reliable power supply.
Mr Gibson’s idea of "occasional" wind farms, means over 548 turbines in Caithness and Sutherland alone. Around 2009, VisitScotland calculated that by 2016, the presence of wind farms at that time would cause five million pounds of tourist revenue to be lost.
We run a small, reasonably successful guest house here in Stoer, and can he imagine how we feel, when we receive complaints abut how recently erected turbines have destroyed the tranquillity of the scenery — the very reason tourists come to the north Highlands.
I am not the only business operator to receive such disheartening mail. Mr Gibson should bear in mind that, in a fragile rural economy, the landscape is the best natural resource we have to attract an ongoing income, which does not need to be supported by public money .
Dennis Campbell,
Cruachan Lodge,
Stoer,
Lochinver.
