Hansard

In that spirit of excitement, I thank the convener and the committee for the opportunity to speak today.

I speak in support of PE1864, which calls for communities to have a stronger role in planning decisions on onshore wind farms. As the MSP for Aberdeenshire West, I have received more contact on energy infrastructure than on any other issue. Rural communities are powerless when large-scale energy projects are proposed, and areas such as the Cabrach have been devastated by developments that have been imposed on them, despite strong and reasoned objections.

The petition seeks to democratise the planning system by preventing the energy consents unit from overruling local decisions, providing professional support to help communities to make submissions and appointing an independent advocate to ensure that inquiries are fair.

Currently, projects over 50MW bypass local authorities and go to the energy consents unit, which removes much-needed local influence from the decision-making process. That leaves underresourced rural communities with limited support struggling to navigate complex processes against well-resourced renewables companies.

By contrast, in England, developers must align with local plans and secure genuine community backing. In Scotland, engagement is often superficial and even successful local opposition is frequently overturned. Since 2023, despite strong local objections, a number of wind turbines have been approved by the energy consents unit against local community wishes—10 in Caithness, 26 in Aberdeenshire and 97 in Dumfries and Galloway.

The Hill of Fare proposal, which is currently the subject of a public inquiry, at which I spoke on Monday, illustrates the problem. A community survey that was carried out back in 2023 shows that only 11 per cent of residents supported the proposal, and a local group has spent three years preparing a gold-standard case with more than 1,500 objections. All six community councils have resoundingly rejected the proposal, as has Aberdeenshire Council on four separate occasions. At every level of elected representation, the project has been opposed and the community’s anger could not be clearer. Although we remain hopeful, the outcome of the inquiry is still uncertain at this point.

Communities should not feel powerless. They deserve to have a planning system in which they have a statutory voice. I urge the Scottish Government to adopt the proposed reforms and restore balance to the planning process. I ask for the support of the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee in advancing the petition.