Main Objectors
Objection from Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust
The Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust works directly with local communities to ensure whales, dolphins and porpoises are protected and valued throughout Scotland’s west coast. Our seas are under huge pressure; increasingly busy, noisy and polluted. Scotland’s whales and dolphins exist in a fragile state, threatened by a range of environmental, climatic and man-made stresses.
This objection focuses on the following issues with SPR's EIA and licence application:
- Noise associated with construction insufficiently addressed.
- Insufficient mitigation and quantitative assessment demonstrated
- Lack of regard paid to how marine mammals are likely to experience the project both spatially and temporally.
Objection from Visit Mull & Iona
Visit Mull & Iona represents 150 member businesses operating around 190 tourism enterprises across Mull and Iona. The visitor economies of Mull and Iona are overwhelmingly dependent on tourism, drawing visitors from across the globe, attracted by the unspoiled natural environment, culture and wildlife. As such, VMI members have a direct and immediate interest in the outcome of this licence application.
The SPR assessment fails to address the interdependence of Iona, Staffa and the Treshnish Isles with the wider economy of Mull. Yet it assigns Mull's tourism economy a "low sensitivity" rating, implying it could absorb industrial change of this kind without fundamental loss, a conclusion that bears no relation to the reality of a fragile, landscape-dependent island economy.
Visit Mull and Iona has objected to the application for reasons of Landscape, Seascape and Visual Impact; Historic and Cultural Heritage; Ecological and Marine Disruption; Socio-Economic Impacts; Community Benefit and Equity; and Mental Health and Wellbeing
Colonsay Community Council Objection
Colonsay Community Council's objection to SPR's proposed MachairWind wind farm examines a wide range of issues, including the suitability of the site selected by SPR; the potential impacts on Colonsay's coastline; harm to the visual amenity and the setting of Oronsay Priory; potential economic impacts; construction noise; effects on the Colonsay Western Cliffs Special Protection Area; and the fact that the application does not include the associated onshore infrastructure, meaning only part of the overall project is to be assessed.
The submission also sets out the matters that Colonsay Community Council believes the Scottish Ministers should carefully consider before reaching a decision on the application.
Throughout, the objection identifies where the Community Council considers SPR's Environmental Impact Assessment fails to meet relevant policy and assessment requirements, supporting its conclusions with detailed evidence.
Islay Community Council Objection
Islay Community Council's objection to SPR's proposed MachairWind wind farm examines a wide range of issues, including the visual impact on Islay's internationally important seascape, landscape character and the setting of coastal heritage assets; the suitability of the proposed location; impacts on Islay's island community; the marine environment; fisheries and fishing displacement; navigation, lifeline connectivity and safety at sea; protected habitats and species; and the climate benefits claimed by SPR, which are further scrutinised in a dedicated supporting annex. It also considers the adequacy of the information presented within the EIA and the key matters Scottish Ministers should take into account when determining the application.
Iona Community Council Objection
Following a detailed scrutiny of ScottishPower Renewables' (SPR) licence application and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Iona Community Council has submitted a comprehensive, evidence-based objection.
The objection examines a broad range of issues, including the proposed development itself, the relevant legislative and policy framework, impacts on visual amenity, the island's cultural landscape and heritage including the internationally important Iona Abbey, socio-economic effects including the visitor economy, and potential impacts on ecology and biodiversity.
Throughout the submission, Iona Community Council identifies where it considers SPR's Environmental Impact Assessment fails to meet relevant policy and assessment requirements, supporting its conclusions with detailed evidence.
Tiree Community Council Objection
Tiree has previously experienced the proposed Argyll Array offshore wind farm, which stimulated a significant community campaign against the proposal from 2010-2013.
Following extensive consultation with the islanders and a detailed review of ScottishPower Renewables' MachairWind proposals, Tiree Community Council has submitted a comprehensive, evidence-based objection.
This objection examines a wide range of issues, including landscape and visual impact, degradation of dark skies, effects on the island's historic and cultural heritage, socioeconomic impacts, wildlife and biodiversity, and the absence of meaningful local benefit.
Throughout the document, the Community Council sets out the reasons why it believes the proposal is inappropriate for this nationally and internationally important seascape.
Objection from The Iona Community
The Iona Community is an ecumenical Christian community committed to peace, social justice and the integrity of creation. It is a non-profit international organisation with bases in Glasgow and on Iona and Mull.
While recognising the need to transition to renewable energy, this objection argues that justice cannot be achieved by sacrificing local ecological and human communities for administrative convenience, economic profit, or extractive corporate practices.
The fundamental question for Scottish Ministers is not whether offshore wind should be developed in Scottish waters, but whether this proposal complies with Scotland's statutory planning and environmental protection framework, reflects the principles of community wealth building, and demonstrates that its claimed environmental benefits are supported by robust evidence.
The objection examines a range of issues, including the proposal's failure of ecological care (care for creation), the erosion of community sovereignty and hospitality, and deficiencies in the protection of Iona's internationally significant landscape, cultural and spiritual heritage.
Objection from Physicist / Oceanographer Lonneke Godijn-Murphy
Lonneke Goddijn-Murphy is a physicist and PhD qualified oceanographer, an environmental researcher at the University of Highlands and Islands and champions the protection of our oceans from the rapid expansion of the offshore wind industry.
This objection provides evidence on how SPR's EIA fails to meet the required policy and standards in terms of the marine environment, human health, and coastal communities
Objection Letter from David Page (Local Mull Artist)
David Page is an local artist living and working on Mull, and has a recent exhibition "Grit & Grace" inspired by the coast and character of Iona's landscape.
This objection focuses on the evidence-based international importance of the spiritual and cultural heritage of Mull & Iona.
Objection Letter from Charles & Pamela Clover (Ross of Mull)
Charles Clover is a long-standing environmental author, journalist and co-founder of the charity Blue Marine Foundation, and has written about planning issues for the Sunday Times and the Daily Telegraph. Charles and his wife Pamela own a property in the Ross of Mull.
This objection looks in more detail at the unacceptable environmental, social, and economic risks posed by the MachairWind proposal.