widget/exchange-29
widget/exchange-30widget/exchange-33
widget/exchange-31

Council / Proposal to change location of Viking Energy concrete batching plants rejected by councillors

Construction of the large wind farm started in summer of 2020. Photo: Shetland News

COUNCILLORS have gone against the recommendations of planning officers by refusing applications to move the location of two proposed Viking Energy concrete batching plants.

Councillors Moraig Lyall and Andrea Manson both spoke up against the plans at a meeting of the committee on Monday afternoon.

Planning officers had recommended that they be approved, and while committee chair Emma Macdonald proposed to follow their lead, she received no support.

It means that Viking Energy will have to revert to previously consented locations for the two plants, which the developer says will mean longer drives with time-sensitive concrete and less efficiency.

Shetland Central councillor Moraig Lyall. Photo: Shetland News

The previously consented plants will be located on the outer reaches of the wind farm site.

The two fresh applications went in front of the committee on Monday – one for a batching plant around 1.5km north west of the Skellister loch and another 1.8km north west of Upper Kergord.

offset-carousel/post-mobile/0

Each development would also include the creation of a 100m x 80m compacted stone platform and associated infrastructure.

The plans went in front of the committee because of unresolved objections from community councils.

Viking Energy already has consent for three batching plants near to construction compounds, including one just south of Voe which is already in operation.

The move to bring the other two further into the centre of the construction area was designed to make operations more efficient.

Local campaign groups Sustainable Shetland and Save Shetland also objected to the plans.

They raised concerns over the suitability of the sites – saying they would be better built near existing work compounds – and questioned the environmental impact.

Other concerns previously raised about the plants included the impact of cement dust, construction noise for residents and disturbance to birds.

Become a member of Shetland News

 

But planning officers advised councillors to approve the temporary planning permission because with a series of conditions they would be acceptable in “location, scale, design and form”.

The plant sites would have been reinstated after construction of the wind farm.

A number of questions were asked of planning officers and also SSE consents manager Jamie Watt and Ryan MacLean of Viking Energy’s principal contractor RJ McLeod.

But Shetland Central member Lyall believed that the two applications should be refused partly because of greater awareness around the environmental benefits of peatland since the wind farm’s original consent.

She also raised concerns over the potential for dust emanating from the plant sites, the impact on birdlife and the lack of electricity and water at the new sites.

Lyall said the objections of neighbours to the proposed developments were valid.

Both of her moves to refuse the applications were seconded by North Mainland member Andrea Manson.

offset-carousel/post-mobile/1

“We must protect things that are precious to us,” Manson said, referring to limiting the impact of dust on the likes of the Burn of Lunklet.

During the meeting Shetland Islands Council’s planning manager Iain McDiarmid stressed that councillors need to turn down applications on material planning grounds.

He referred to the prospect of refusals being appealed – potentially at a cost to the council.

In January last year a planning committee decision to refuse temporary permission for the Sella Ness accommodation camp was overturned following an appeal.

The council was also ordered to pay expenses of the applicant’s appeal.

Become a member of Shetland News

Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider paying for membership to get additional features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a member of Shetland News by either making a single payment, or setting up a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription.

 
widget/pd_widget-6widget/pd_widget-7widget/exchange-53widget/exchange-54widget/pd_widget-8widget/exchange-55widget/pd_widget-9widget/exchange-56

Newsletters

Subscribe to a selection of different newsletters from Shetland News, varying from breaking news delivered on the minute, to a weekly round-up of the opinion posts. All delivered straight to your inbox.

Daily Briefing Newsletter Weekly Highlights Newsletter Opinion Newsletter Life in Shetland Newsletter

JavaScript Required

We're sorry, but Shetland News isn't fully functional without JavaScript enabled.
Head over to the help page for instructions on how to enable JavaScript on your browser.

Your Privacy

We use cookies on our site to improve your experience.
By using our service, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

Browser is out-of-date

Shetland News isn't fully functional with this version of .
Head over to the help page for instructions on updating your browser for more security, improved speed and the best overall experience on this site.

Interested in Notifications?

Get notifications from Shetland News for important and breaking news.
You can unsubscribe at any time.

Have you considered becoming a member of Shetland News?

If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please consider paying for membership and get the following features and services: -

  • Remove non-local ads;
  • Bookmark posts to read later;
  • Exclusive curated weekly newsletter;
  • Hide membership messages;
  • Comments open for discussion.