Wind farm car park details lodged with planners
SSE Renewables has provided the local planning department with more information on a proposed public car park at the north end of the wind farm site – months after it was first requested.
The Viking wind farm developer has now submitted further information on drainage, as well as a supporting document on the wider project.
A representative of SSE had said in July that it should take a “few weeks” to work on the required SuDS (sustainable drainage systems) documentation, but it took until mid-December for the item to be lodged.
The energy developer has applied to turn the ‘north’ Viking wind farm construction compound into a public car park, which would also include a picnic area and a storage container for all-terrain wheelchairs.
The aim of the car park is to allow people to leave their vehicles and walk on the Viking wind farm tracks.
However, despite the controversial wind farm now being operational for several months the tracks are not yet open to the public.
The car park proposal has also received a number of objections, including from Delting Community Council, which wanted to see the access point moved.
If this particular objection is unresolved, the case would be decided by councillors on the SIC’s planning committee.
The new supporting information document, however, highlighted that the junction next the compound has already been upgraded for the wind farm construction works.
“Visibility at the junction has improved as part of the upgrade works, to facilitate a large volume of HGV construction traffic accessing the Nesting/north side of the wind farm during construction,” it said.
It said that it is anticipated that the “volume of traffic using the junction during the operational phase of the wind farm will be significantly lower than during the construction period”.
The document added that the wind farm developer does not have land rights or permission to create a new access using the old section of single-road track which runs adjacent to the A970.
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It also said that if approved, the wind farm team will be responsible for constructing the carpark.
The intention is to then hand it over to Shetland Islands Council, which would be responsible for future maintenance.
As part of handover process, a one-off capital contribution will be provided towards to the council for future maintenance.
On a wider level, the document says Viking Energy Wind Farm has engaged with a number of groups and stakeholders over the past few years, and recreational use of the wind farm tracks has been highlighted as potential benefit to the community.
It noted how a storage container is proposed for the carpark which would house accessible wheelchairs and bikes.
The document added that a second storage container is proposed for another public car park at Sandwater, “enabling visitors to collect a wheelchair or bike from one location and have the option to drop off the other location”.
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