LETTER: Sallachy Wind Farm ‘conflict of interest’

I WAS outraged to read in a recent edition of the Northern Times letters page, how the chairman of Lairg Community Council, Iain Thomson, casually stated at a recent AGM, regarding the proliferation of wind farms in the area, that: “It is more by perception that there are a lot of turbines, but compared to other communities, there are not really." writes Alice Clutterbuck, of Newton Abbott.

This is the man who also signed a letter, as chairman of Lairg Community Council, on behalf of Lairg Community Council, asking Highland Council to approve the Sallachy Wind Farm the following day on April 26.

This is the same man who happens to be the Sallachy Estate manager and in his own words he declares: “The estate has been working with WKN (German developer) for many years now and we are committed to this project as both a supporter and investor.”

Surely, this is a blatant conflict of interest that calls into question the validity and integrity of the granting of Sallachy Wind Farm by Highland Council?

The John Muir trust reflects that: “This decision, and where we go from here, is highly significant.” They have indeed requested a meeting with Highland Council to discuss the implications.

Importantly, the John Muir Trust and all interested parties need to be aware of the repercussions of this questionable decision, clearly underpinned and contaminated by conflicting financial and personal interests.

For all our sakes, these circumstances demand further scrutiny and the planning proposal for Sallachy should go back to the Highland Council for a non-biased planning approval meeting, to be discussed again and determined appropriately.

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