By Ken Bell

RSPB SCOTLAND has lodged a formal objection to a massive wind farm development proposed for the Isle of Lewis.

The proposal by Amec and British Energy (Lewis Wind Power Ltd) would involve the construction of 234 wind turbines on an extremely fragile and special wildlife site on the north Lewis moor. The wind farm would have a 25-year lifespan.

Scottish Natural Heritage has already lodged its objections to the development.

RSPB Scotland is objecting in the strongest terms to the proposal because the turbines would be spread across the Lewis Peatlands Special Protection Area (SPA)—an area protected under European law for birds including golden eagles, merlins, black-throated divers, red-throated divers, dunlins and greenshanks.

“We believe this wind farm proposal is not just bad for birds but bad for the development of renewables as well,” said Anne McCall, RSPB Scotland’s planning and development manager.

“The developers are proposing to put a massive industrial complex on a very important designated site for wildlife.

“This is asking for conflict and that is bad for the development of renewables in Scotland.”

RSPB Scotland is concerned about the implications of climate change and supports the erection of sensibly located wind farms as part of efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuel—but in its submission to the Scottish Executive, RSPB Scotland is arguing that this particular large-scale industrial development is in exactly the wrong place.

The wind turbines would be 140m tall, (one and a half times the height of the towers on the Forth rail bridge) with a rotor diameter of 100m (longer than a jumbo jet).

RSPB Scotland believes such a scale of development could not avoid causing major disruption to the unusually large numbers of scarcer breeding birds which come to the Lewis Peatlands.

As well as the breeding birds for which the site is designated, the Lewis Peatlands are a thoroughfare for migrating whooper swans, corncrakes and Scotland’s expanding—but still vulnerable—population of white-tailed eagles.

Martin Scott, RSPB Scotland’s Western Isles conservation officer, said, “The Lewis Peatlands are a gem in Scotland’s natural history crown.

“The sheer number of breeding birds on this site—amidst the stunning open landscape—is breathtaking. Locals are proud of their moor and their heritage, the rest of Scotland should be too.

“We cannot let this inappropriate development go ahead in the name of improving our natural environment. It would be like rubbing salt into the wound of climate change.”

Figures for the Lewis Peatland SPA show its bird population to be: dunlin—37% of the British population (3400 pairs); greenshank—10% (140 pairs); red-throated diver 9% (80 pairs); black-throated diver 8% (13 pairs); golden plover 8% (1800 pairs); merlin 2% (20 pairs); golden eagle 1% (5 pairs).

The Environmental Statement (ES) produced by the developers acknowledges that the development will result in the loss of at least 20 red-throated divers, 50 merlin, and 50 golden eagles due to collision during the lifetime of the development.

The ES also acknowledges that 350 pairs of golden plover (1.5% of GB and Ireland population) and 314 pairs of dunlin (4%) will be lost to the population due to displacement.