MORE FLAWS IN VATTENFALL'S PROPOSAL EXPOSED

Hi All

We wanted to update you on the Inquiry hearing that happened yesterday.

The hearing focussed on Vattenfall’s windfarm application in the context of new government and local council planning documents. As we stated before the Inquiry, we felt that the documents were far more aligned with our position of refusal than Vattenfall’s proposal of approval. After the hearing we are even more convinced. The policy documents rightly highlight the importance of the Biodiversity crisis and the necessity to conserve, rather than destroy and then mitigate.

Crucially the hearing exposed some fundamental flaws in Vattenfall’s proposal. In the previous hearing back in February 2022 last year, we highlighted serious deficiencies in Vattenfall’s Environmental Impact Assessment. A key criticism was on their proposed mitigation and compensation actions. They claimed to have large scale replanting schemes to mitigate the destruction of the Clashindarroch forest site. The first flaw in this plan is that any replanting scheme will take decades to mature and the wildcats will simply have nowhere to go in the meantime. Further, their replanting scheme lacked any detail whatsoever. No landowner buy in, no location specifics, nothing to reassure anyone that their proposed replanting schemes were nothing more than hollow words and box ticking. Well a full year has passed and one would presume that in that time, Vattenfall’s mitigation plans would have been progressed. However, when directly asked about habitat mitigation and enhancement by the Chair of meeting, they provided no specifics and just referred to the hollow and nebulous comments in their proposal. Our Ecologist immediately followed up and asked for the specifics. Vattenfall gave no answer. We can only presume that is because their mitigation and compensation plans are exactly what we predicted they would be. Just blatant greenwashing.

Later in hearing the council’s Local Development plan was discussed. They have very sensible policies on ensuring protected species such as the wildcat, are not adversely impacted by development. Vattenfall immediately tried to claim that the council’s conditions were far more stringent than the National government policy and the relevant legislation in this area. This is entirely false and so we immediately responded. We made the point that in fact the Local council’s development plan, exactly mirrors and aligns with both National policy and the legislation. The fact that Vattenfall considers strict conditions around the issue of protected species to be onerous, is another very clear indication of the contempt they have for the Scottish wildcat and other protected species. It’s so very sad to see a supposedly environmentally responsible company behave like this.

Anyway, we are very happy that we made all the points we wanted to make and that further fundamental flaws in Vattenfall’s proposal have been exposed. WE are confident that in the context of the new government policy document’s, their proposal looks more absurd than it did before.

We are tired but very satisfied and will of course update you on the next developments.

Thanks so much for all your messages of support and donations. We simply cannot keep fighting without you. Sometimes we cannot reply to all the messages, but we can guarantee that we read every one of them and they give us the energy we need.

Once again sincere thanks and keep watching.

The Wildcat Haven Team