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Oxford Energy Expert Warns of Soaring Costs and Questionable Climate Benefits. Professor Sir Dieter Helm is a leading British energy economist, Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Oxford and Fellow in Economics at New College, Oxford. He has advised successive UK governments on energy and climate change, including undertaking the Government’s independent Cost…

What Iona’s Setting Means, and What is at Stake Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has formally objected to MachairWind because it considers that the proposed development would have a “significant adverse impact” on the settings of St Mary’s Abbey, Iona, monastic settlement (SM12968), and Iona Abbey (LB12310)[1]. HES is the statutory body responsible for advising on…

There is a profound sense of relief and hope in seeing more independent experts and our elected representatives arrive at conclusions that support the concerns we have been raising for months. But it is worth reflecting on the human cost that is borne by our communities and beyond. It isn’t just those volunteers who have…

A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to write to Argyll & Bute Councillors before the Planning, Protective Services and Licensing (PPSL) Committee meeting on 15 September. Your emails were heard. Several Councillors specifically referred to the volume of correspondence they had received and the strength of the concerns being expressed, with…

If this application were to succeed it would result in environmental, cultural and socio-economic vandalism on a massive scale. It’s hard to see how approval of such a damaging scheme could show anything other than contempt on the part of the Scottish Government for the affected communities and the environments in which they live (exemplified…

I am writing to object to the MachairWind Offshore Wind Farm. I am Islay born and raised from a multi-generational Islay family. I also have 35 years’ experience as an executive and non-executive director in the global energy sector , including leadership of the Northern European Gas Power & renewables Business for a Major Energy…

In this symbolic painting, David Page has created a lament to what would be lost if MachairWind goes ahead. The proposed wind farm development, featuring massive turbines towering to the height of the Eiffel Tower, directly threatens the historic maritime horizon between Iona and Ireland. This open sea passage was once a bustling maritime highway…

Why We Sent “Local Hero” to the Chairman of Iberdrola This week, the people of Iona sent a personalised copy of Bill Forsyth’s iconic film Local Hero to Ignacio Sánchez Galán, Executive Chairman of Iberdrola, the parent company of ScottishPower Renewables which is applying to build the MachairWind wind farm. Alongside it was an open…

Proposed MachairWind Offshore Wind Farm Updated brief, Iona Community Council, May 2026 (v.2.2) MachairWind is a proposed offshore wind farm south of Iona covering an area equivalent to more than half the landmass of Mull. It comprises 91 x 335 meter tall turbines, which would be among the tallest currently operational in the world, and…

This interview brings together Hebridean Horizon and artist Rutger Emmelkamp, co‑founder of KNOCKvologan Studio on the Isle of Mull. Rutger’s work is rooted in close observation of the Hebridean landscape, shaped by weather, tides, and the deep cultural values of place. His long‑form project Hebridean Horizons sits within a wider practice that merges art, ecology,…