Highland planners were accused of enabling renewable energy firms to “rape and pillage” the region’s wild land during a furious row yesterday over a controversial new planning map.
Scottish Government agency Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is consulting on the map that identifies 42% of the Highlands as Core Areas of Wild Land.
Highland Council planner Katie Briggs told the local authority’s planning, environment and development committee yesterday, that the areas identified were too large.
She said: “The council’s consultation response should reiterate concern that the current Core Areas of Wild Land are too extreme and should not include contiguous areas of lower-quality wildness.”
She added that it could affect development, including renewable energy schemes such as windfarms.
The issue split opinion between councillors.
Lochaber councillor Andrew Baxter said: “Modern-day prospectors will be rubbing their hands in glee at a sign going up in the Highlands saying ‘Come on in, there’s more wild land’ and will carry on raping and pillaging our assets.”
Badenoch and Strathspey councillor Bill Lobban said: “I can’t help but think that we’ve got this response seriously wrong. I don’t agree that the Core Areas of Wild Land are too extensive and I think that joining up areas of high-value wilderness is appropriate. If we go down this route, we risk greater industrialisation of our rural heartland.”
His views were echoed by fellow-councillors Jim Crawford and Helen Carmichael.
Graham Philips said he supported extending the concept of wild land as widely as practical, but warned it risked damaging residential amenity by forcing windfarms nearer to homes.
He said building turbines too close to houses could cause “significant psychological damage and financial loss”.
Inverness Millburn Councillor Jimmy Gray said the Highlands would “rue the day” if the map got the go-ahead due to the impact on economic development.
Sutherland councillor George Farlow said the council response was “excellent” and said SNH needed to “get a grip”. He disputed the idea that it was wild territory as it was managed by estates.
He added: “I think this is the last throes of an organisation that is at trouble with itself.”
The committee eventually agreed a response to SNH expressing concern at the extent of the wild land areas, but supporting the concept of truly wild land being kept undeveloped.