Letters / Public need to see ammonia plans
Firstly, I wish to address that I myself are not on a one-man crusade to put a stop to any new development that rears its ugly head upon these islands.
Far from being totally against any energy project being planned across Shetland at the moment, we still have to make our islands welcome to any sensible projects that both help employment, protect our heritage and most importantly share decent financial benefits across the Shetland community.
The recent plan to create an ammonia plant at the Dales Voe vicinity has been met with mixed concern, mainly from residents of Califf, Breiwick as well as Tingwall and Lerwick
Community council keen to see wider visual impact of ammonia plant plans considered
The feedback I have received over the last handful of months since Statkraft met with the public last year has really been mixed, but overall there has been concern about the natural features and extreme costs to get road and infrastructure into an unspoiled area of Shetland being not properly discussed by the elected councillors, planning officers and relevant parties involved with the proposed project.
Over 200 pages outlining the project can be found on the SIC planning website, and sadly not everyone has a link or a computer handy to read the details. More thought about reaching a wider audience is requested and not only to be seen on the internet could be considered for future similar projects.
We need to see that the public and residents are given suitable time to air their concerns, be it positive or negative to the project.
It would be extremely appreciated that a public meeting be arranged at the Tingwall hall where both councillors for the area and SIC planning officers are kindly present to allow people to share their opinions on the proposed project.
This seems like a simple task, so perhaps the local community council or any elected council member for the area can consider arranging a public meeting. Keep that community spirit alive please and thank you.
Damien Ristori
Lerwick
