Blind trust

Full marks to Ian Tinkler on his recent Viking Energy observations (Your comments, please; SN, 09/10/13)

I wasn’t in Shetland when Sarah Taylor’s health impact study (HIS) was published and I have only just read Viking Energy’s response to it.

There used to be a time when David Thomson, VE project manager, and administrator of our “community project”, responded candidly and openly to questions posed by the Shetland community.

That was a long time ago.

VE has since ceased communicating with the community. All we get now is spin and propaganda, paid for by the Shetland community, and VE’s response to the HIS is a sad and disturbing example of this.

VE’s complete disregard for any health concerns raised makes chilling reading, but in the interest of brevity, I’ll confine my observations to just one paragraph in this document, which is, and has been for some time, representative of VE’s community relations approach:

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“4.9.3. Condition 44 sets decibel limits for noise measured at any dwelling near to the Viking windfarm at both day and night. This sets an objective [my emphasis] for the evaluation of any complaints.”

In the case of Donnie and Evelyn Morrison’s “dwelling” at Setter, the microphone (measuring background noise) was placed on the opposite side of the road, as far away from their house and as near to a noisy road as possible.

In the case of Lottie Robertson’s dwelling at Sandwater (to be surrounded by five turbines), the microphone was placed at least 50 yards from her house, and right next to one of Shetland’s busiest and noisiest roads, the A970 (I have photographic evidence of this).

These are just two examples. Given the vested interests, such overwhelming “objectivity” on behalf of Viking Energy doesn’t surprise me.

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What amazes me is the blind trust Shetland Charitable Trust has placed in VE’s project manager Mr Thomson. This is, to put it mildly, a somewhat unhealthy relationship and if this were a fictional scenario would be dismissed as too far fetched.

Mr Thomson and his fellow Burradale investors hold a significant financial stake in the Viking wind farm and only fools would expect a sober, impartial, rational and measured assessment regarding this – now doomed – wind farm from somebody who was hoping to rake in a few millions himself by working hard towards bringing this toxic project to fruition.

Rosa Steppanova
Tresta